The Academy
by HannahT1495
Summary: AH. Dimitri is the new security guard, assigned to mentor the mysterious Rose. Why does she need a personal safety mentor? Why did she move from England to America? As Dimitri and Rose get closer, he discovers things about her that could kill them both...
1. Chapter 1

_**I thought of this when I was reading Shadow Kissed. I hope you like it :)**_

_**Disclaimer**__**: No malicious motives were intended in writing this story. All recognisable characters belong to Richelle Mead. I reserve the right to includes M rated scenes, but they will be labelled and you can skip them if you want.**_

I approached the wrought iron gates with hesitancy. My shiny Audi was the only car in sight; I assumed the academy had an onsite car park, hidden from view. I pulled up to the guard station to my left and cranked the driver's window down.

"Name." The voice belonged to a man in his late sixties, bald, supporting a bit of a mid drift. He was dressed in the navy uniform associated with St Vladimir's Academy's security staff. He looked anything but threatening, but as I leaned out to give him an answer, I saw a holster on his belt, supposedly with a gun inside.

Well, at least there won't be any chance of mad axe-murderers breaking into my room at night and killing me.

"Dimitri Belikov. I'm-"

"Ah, yes. The mentor slash security guard slash self defence teacher." The man sneered back at me. It was true that I was to mentor some students a couple of days a week, and I was drafted in to help teach the kids self defence, but I was hired as a security guard. Head of personal safety, if my memory served me correctly.

"Yes, I am the new security guard."

"Great. Just what we need. Another jumped-up, over-grown teenager in charge of the delinquents this prestigious academy has degraded itself by accepting." Must be an old student or something. "Back in my day..." Defiantly an old student.

Thankfully, he was cut off by a woman of about 40 walking briskly towards us.

"Thank you, Stan. I'm sure I can take it from here. Mr Belikov? I'm Alberta Petrov, Head mistress of St Vladimir's Academy. Stan, let him in. I'll give him the passes and everything later." The guard – Stan – grumbled, but opened the gates nevertheless. "Mr Belikov, please drive up to the main building facing the quadrangle. I'll meet you there in about 5 minutes. My secretary will have paperwork you will need to fill out. It was nice meeting you." And with that, she walked away, the echo of her heels trailing behind her.

I did what I was told, and parked right in front of the main office. I got out and walked through the double doors straight in front of me. I was met with the sounds of a sobbing girl. I looked around and saw her, sitting on one of the chairs opposite the desk that ran the length of the room, splitting it in half. She was sitting on the chair furthest away from me, and I was debating whether to approach her or not when the secretary called me forward.

"Mr Belikov? Miss Petrov said you would be coming down soon. Let me just get you the forms." She was a pretty young woman of about 20. Blonde hair, blue eyes, thinks she's a lot prettier than she is. Not my type at all. But all the while she was talking to me; her eyes flittered up and down my body, unabashfully checking me out. My thoughts were confirmed when she 'accidentally' dropped a pencil and bent over, giving me a rather unwelcome view of her arse that had been squeezed into a skirt that barely passed as one; it looked more like a belt. It even rode up to give me a full view of her red underwear that she had on underneath. Disgusting. She took her time straightening back up, and turned around, pushing the papers forward and unnecessarily leaning down so that I got a full view of her cleavage. She was oozing in desperation.

"Thank you." I said, cold and curt. I really didn't want some slut hitting on me right now. I walked away and chose to sit near the girl I had seen on my way in. She had stopped crying now, and was trying to get rid of the mascara lines the tears had left down her face. She looked about 18, had long dark hair, tanned skin, and a bit taller than average height; 5'9"? 5'10"? I reached into my pocket and pulled out my handkerchief. I sat down next to her and held it out. When she looked at me, I realised that she had the most amazing brown eyes that I had ever seen. Regardless of the tears still swimming in them, they seemed bottomless and full of emotion. Right now it was gratitude.

"Thanks" she whispered, accepting it.

"You're welcome." I murmured.

It was only when I heard Miss Petrov approaching that I realised I was still staring into the girl's eyes for too long to be classes as socially acceptable. But she was staring right back at me.

"Miss Petrov." I greeted.

"Mr Belikov, please come into my office, and we shall go over the forms." With that, she walked through a door to the left of the counter, expecting me to follow.

I stood up, and turned to leave when I felt a small hand rest on my forearm. I almost flinched at the electricity that sizzled at the touch. I looked at the girl who was holding my handkerchief in the hand that was not touching me.

"Thank you." She said again, with a voice that was stronger but still full of gratitude. There was also an accent there, but I couldn't place it; she hadn't said enough.

"No problem. And, you can keep it. I've got plenty more." I don't know why, but I had the urge to leave part of myself with her. Not even an urge, just a little itch, a nagging.

"Than-" She was smiling now, but I still cut off her apology.

"Shh. Don't mention it." I smiled at her, glad I was able to help cheer her up. Her smiled widened, and I felt mine do the same. I turned and walked towards the door where the headmistress had disappeared behind. But just before I entered, I looked back at the girl, who was still smiling and looking down at my handkerchief. She proceeded to fold it up and put it in her pocket. A small gesture, but it still made me happy. I have no idea why.

An hour later, and I exited the office that I had been stuck in, signing paper after paper, often repeating myself. But at least it was all done now. I hopped in my Audi that was still outside and drove to where I was to stay for the duration of my employment.

I decided against lugging all my luggage up to my apartment until I had seen inside it, but I needn't have worried. The apartment was a lot like a _real_ apartment. It had a lounge, kitchen, decent sized bathroom and a big bedroom with a king sized bed, which was an unexpected bonus.

It took me ages to get unpacked, but the feeling of accomplishment when I had finished was welcomed. However, I was knackered and couldn't be bothered to get changed or have a shower. I just stripped down to my boxers and crawled under the covers.

The silence was eerie; I was used to the hustle and bustle of New York to send me to sleep. I was aware that curfew for the students was hours ago, but I expected _some_ noise at least. It made me uncomfortable, but I knew I had to get used to it. I sighed and rolled over onto my side, trying to get comfortable. Sleeping in an unfamiliar bed was always a struggle for me. Oh well, another thing to get used to. It seemed like I needed to adjust to a lot here. My last thought before I fell into a restless slumber was;

_Welcome to St Vladimir's._

_**Let me know what you think :) xx**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Woah, 14 reviews already! Just for thart, here's the next chapter :)**

**Oh, and don't forget to check out my other fanfic, **_**Until Now**_** :)**

_Beep beep._

What is that God awful noise?

I groaned and rolled over. My bloody alarm clock. Fml. It read 6:30. Wtf?

Then I remembered I was due to start work at seven. Ugh, work.

Oh, right. New job. Maybe not 'ugh' then.

I heaved myself out of bed and shuffled into the bathroom to have a shower.

I emerged five minutes later fully awake and eager to start my new job. I had always wanted to help people, and when I started secondary school, I found out that my physique was ideal for being a body guard, soldier, police officer etc. None of those jobs particularly interested me, but I built myself up regardless. My stamina was unmatched, and I could lift my own body weight above my head. The great thing was that I didn't look like a bodybuilder, or rugby player. I was still average size. Well, accept from my height. 6'5" was way above average, but other than that, I was normal looking. I wasn't vain, but I loved the fact that I had a very nice six-pack and a rather defined V that I was very proud of.

I dressed in the standard security uniform for St Vladimir's that I had been issued yesterday, grabbed my morning cup of coffee and turned on my laptop. I still had ten minutes, so I decided to check my emails. Thirty. Shit. Most were offers from iTunes, facebook and co, but I had one form my mother, and two from my best mate, Mason.

_Dimka,_

_Let me know when you arrive. Are you all settled in and unpacked? How's the job? Are they giving you enough work? Are they over working you? Don't let them do that! You must complain._

_Are you eating well? Make sure you eat 5-a-day, you need to keep your strength up. Oh, and eat breakfast, it's the most important meal of the day._

_Are you sleeping ok? Is the apartment nice? If it's too small, ask for a new one._

_Are you ok, Dimka? I know you're 22, but I still worry about you._

_I miss you. Reply soon._

_I love you,_

_Mama xx_

I sighed. My mother always worried about me. I was her only son, and was not what she expected in a boy. I never felt the need to surround myself with people my own age. I'd much rather hang around with a select few who I knew I could trust. I didn't go out very often and cause mayhem when I was a child. I stayed indoors and read books, or helped my mother in the kitchen, or my grandmother with her readings. And that suited me fine. I was not the type to get drunk every night in my teens, or have meaningless sex with strangers. I drank and went out with girls, but I got to know them first before, you know, getting to _know_ them.

I decided to wait until I had a day of work to inform her about before replying. I checked the next two emails.

_D,_

_How is it man? Is the food crap? Is your apartment like the rooms as NYU? If it is, then it sucks to be you!_

_Are there any fit girls? Coz if there are, I may just have to come and visit you..._

_Lemme know ;)_

_M_

The next one was dated a minute after the first one.

_Oh, shit. _

_You're working at a school, aren't you?_

_Well, no pussy for you! Unless you decide to turn pedo! _

_But it goes up to 18 yrs, right? I can still get some...4 years age difference ain't that much... ;)_

_Once again, sucks to be you!_

I quickly typed out a reply.

_M,_

_I cook my own food you douche, so it's not crap. My apartment is HUGE! Bigger than yours, so it sucks to be YOU my friend. _

_And yeah, I do work at a school you twat, but I'm not a teacher, so I can sleep with who I want...as long as their over 16. And there is this blonde receptionist who was practically begging me to take her over the desk yesterday, so it REALLY sucks to be you!_

_And you can come and stay if you really want to, but you're sleeping on the sofa_

_D_

There was no chance of me getting with that blonde from yesterday, but I wanted to shut him up. And, while the thing with the students was true, I wasn't looking for a relationship right now, but whatever. He didn't have to know that.

I shut off my laptop, grabbed a cereal bar and headed for the security centre.

I saw a few students on the way there, but most were still in bed, I guessed. Lessons didn't start until 9. When I got there, I was greeted by the head of security, Janine Mazur. She was a no nonsense woman, but seemed really nice – as long as I didn't get on her wrong side. I was to spend 3 hours a day patrolling the perimeter, 3 hours a week mentoring a student, 1 hour everyday running a personal safety course, and the rest of the day upgrading and improving the academy's security. When I was done with that, they'd find me another job to do.

It sounded great. Not too much of the same thing, but enough to make it feel like a permanent job. I was given blue prints of the grounds to analyse, but I was to start my personal safety class today, so Janine took me through the motions; what to teach, what not to teach, what I could and couldn't say etc. To be honest, the class were seniors, so there wasn't much that was deemed 'unfit' to cover or say. They were all old enough to know right from wrong.

At 8:30 I made my way over to the gym. I changed into sweatpants and a NYU t-shirt; comfort over fashion every time. I decided to start off with building up the kids' strength first, before I taught them any moves. Circuit training seemed the best option. I could get to know the kids' strengths, weaknesses etc, but it was all useful.

My first students arrived at 8:55. I sent them to get changed into the gym clothes I had requested they bring; thank God for the intercom. I decided that I was going to be a tough, no nonsense teacher. I remember from my high school days that if a teacher didn't earn the respect early on, it was lost forever. With this in mind, anyone who forgot their kit was to come back after classes and run laps. Cruel, I know, but it wouldn't happen again.

Luckily, no one forgot their kit, lost it, had it stolen, eaten by a goat etc. I had a class of 15, which was a decent size; not too big, but not too small.

"Right. As you all know, I am your new personal safety coach. I'm Dimitri Belikov. I'm 22. I was born in Russia, but moved to the US to go to NYU. I'm also the new head of personal security, so if you fear for your personal safety or anyone else's, come and see me. Now, I know absolutely nothing about any of you, so one by one, stand up and tell me a little about yourself."

At first, no one moved. But then a ginger haired boy stood up.

"Jesse Smithe. 18. I was born in Florida. Ermm, that's about it."

"Mia Andrews. 17. I live in Chicago with my mom and my sisters."

"Jason Webb, 17. I come from Washington."

"Marco Romani. 18. I come from Italy. My parents still live there, but I say with my brother Paulo who lives in South Dakota."

"Keith Thompson. 18. New Orleans."

"Paul Mordov. I'm 18, and I live in Portland."

"Georgia Millian. I'm 17, and I come from Georgia."

"Robert McGuiggan. I'm from Maine. 17."

"Lily Ainsworth. 17. I'm from Ohio, and I am a twin."

"Emily Ainsworth. 17. I'm from Ohio and I am also a twin."

"Jessica Simmons. I live in Mexico, and I am 18."

"Duncan Sellis. 17 and I'm from California."

"Vallisa Dragomir. I'm 17 and live in Arizona, but my grandparents come from Romania."

"Christian Ozera. I'm 18 and I come from Oregon.

"Rose Hathaway. I'm 17. I come from England. My parents and sister live in London, but I live in New York with my aunt."

It was the girl from the office. Rose. She comes from England. That's what the accent was. She was not crying, but she still looked miserable. I hoped nothing was wrong.

"Right. Nice to meet you all. Now, split into five groups of three. I want you to go to a station I've set up, and I'll tell you when to change."

There were groans all round, but they did what they were told. At the end of the lesson, I realises I had my work cut out. Most of the kids admitted that they don't usually do exercise, and they weren't nearly as fit as I'd hoped them to be. I may have to change my lesson plans.

"You all did really well. I'm really glad that you all tried your hardest and gave everything your best shot. Now, I'd like you all to get here on Wednesday at half 8, so we can get started earlier, and you will have time to shower before your lessons start. Let this be a warning to you, this was an easy session. You will sweat; a lot. But it is compulsory, as the school has decided that you are all in need of knowledge on how to defend yourself. I know you all have different reasons, but I want you all to try your hardest. I will not accept the excuse "I never wanted to do this course anyway." Or "My parents forced me." Is that clear? Now, off you go and get cleaned up. I'll give you all late passes. But only for half an hour. After that, you're on your own."

I watched them all walk off. Some were happy with the prospect of missing half an hour of class, some complaining about the work or the early hour.

I was mentoring my student at 4, but I was free for the rest of the day. I decided to look over those blueprints and see what I could do.

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	3. Chapter 3

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Jesus Christ.

The security system at this school was appalling. Especially considering that a lot if the students came from rich or powerful families. A few were even royal.

Not one security camera in sight. No guard dogs, no outer perimeter. The only protection was 5 guards patrolling, changing every 3 hours. Now, let me make this clear. The Academy was huge. It had students from the ages 3 – 18, and was a boarding school. There were over 300 members of staff, 50 security staff, 100 catering persons and 20 grounds staff. Every one of these people had an apartment. Some even had houses. There were 300 people in each year group, and every single one had a hall of residence; 5 to a year group. Plus the classrooms, playing fields, athletics tracks, swimming pools, bars, lounges, 6 gyms, 10 music rooms, 4 halls, and canteens to accommodate the whole of the student body. There were 5 main campuses; Elementary, age3-8; Middle, age 9-14; Higher, age 15-18; Staff and Main. All but main had their own classrooms, common rooms, sports facilities and entertainment complexes. 5 guards patrolling. There may as well be no wire fence. It didn't help that the Academy backed onto a forest. This meant a lot of trees reached over the fences. This would have to change.

I started to make a list of the changes I would make. It looked a bit like this:

_24hr security cameras- whole of perimeter_

_50 guards patrolling. 26 in pairs and 24 with dogs._

_Cut back trees near perimeter._

_Outer and middle perimeter to be installed around. Middle = electrocuted._

_All guards to possess hidden firearms._

_X-ray scanners and infra red on main gate._

_Close all other exits._

_All guards to be equipped with infrared goggles at night. _

There was more, but it was coming up to 4 and I didn't want to be late.

I was told that all mentoring sessions took place in the mentors office, but seeing as I didn't have one, today's session would be in the library, and then I could decide where. But I wasn't going to think about where yet. I didn't even know who it was yet.

I was 10 minutes early, so I picked up an old western novel that I hadn't read in some time and found a secluded corner. I told the woman at the main desk to tell the student where to find me, and I waited.

15 minutes later, I heard a small cough of acknowledgement and I looked up. Standing there was the girl from the office. The girl in my personal safety class. Rose Hathaway.

She was dressed in tight, dark blue jeans that hugged her amazing figure and showed off her long legs. She was wearing a red spaghetti strap top, with lace trimming the top and the bottom. She looked beautiful. She was really curvy, but not overly so. She said she was 17, but she looked older. Her hair was lose and cascaded like a mahogany waterfall over her shoulders and down her back. I had the strange urge to run my fingers through it.

I suddenly realised that she had been standing there for a few minutes whilst I had been looking at her, but I realised with a start that she had been checking me out too. I tried to remember that I was supposed to be mentoring her, and tried to ignore that she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

"Hello, Rose. I guess you already know who I am, so come and take a seat." She complied silently. "Now, I'm going to be your mentor for the next academic year. I will help you with any problems, whether it be school related of not." She didn't say anything, so I carried on. "This usually takes place in an office, but seeing as I don't have one, we can decide where to meet." I liked the _we_ more than I should. "I don't know a lot about you, apart from what you told me in class, so let's get to know each other, shall we?" I liked that more than I should as well.

"My name is Rose Hathaway. I've lived in England all my life, but I moved to New York to stay with my aunt a few years ago. I transferred here from St Helen's in London." She was more animated than what she was in class, but she still sounded like she was just going through the motions. I realised that she might be just as shy as I was usually.

"Really? I live in New York too." _Maybe I could visit her?_ "What's your favourite part? Mine's the Museum of Natural history and Time Warner Center." Hang on, why would I go and visit her? She doesn't even know me. Even if she did, why would she want me to visit?

That talking of New York got her animated. She spoke of the zoos and how they compared to London, and how she loved to just walk around central park. We talked of New York for ages, but she suddenly asked me,

"Do you miss Russia?"

It was the first time in our conversation that she had asked me a personal question outright. I also found out that she had listened to my little introduction in class, and had remembered.

"Yeah, loads. Where I come from, everybody knows everybody. If you needed to borrow anything, there would be loads of people you could ask. I miss that. In New York, everyone keeps themselves to themselves. I miss the architecture. America is only about 400 years old, so you don't get the contrast between 1000 year old buildings with new skyscrapers. It all just looks the same."

"I miss that about England. There are no stately manor houses to look around, no medieval castles to visit. It's all just similar." She sighed. A few moments later she asked "Do you miss your family?" Her voice was very quiet, as though she was sad about something. I looked at her properly then. She was animated in talking about the buildings and attractions, but her family seemed to bother her.

"Every day." I admitted. I didn't care about looking stupid or weak around her. I wanted her to know the real me. "My sister had a baby a few months back. I wasn't there for the christening or when she started to sit up. I've seen photos, but it's not the same. I miss my mum a lot too. I'm her only son, and my sisters can be a handful, especially with a new baby. I'm worried that she'll over work herself." I really did miss my mother. And Karolina's new baby, Zoya, was my first niece. I've never seen her in the flesh, and that gets to me a lot.

"I miss my family. I miss my mum a lot as well. She hated to see me go. My sister is younger than me, but we are really close. She would love New York, but she can't come here. None of them can" Her voice broke on the last word, and tears started to run down her face. I couldn't stand to see her so broken, so fragile, so I stood up and held out my hand to her. She looked confused, but took it anyway. There was another spark of electricity, but I didn't have time to ponder what it meant.

I pulled her towards me and wrapped my arms around her. She froze for a moment, but then relaxed and rested her head on my chest. I moved one of my hands from round her waist and stroked her hair, all the while muttering to her in Russian. I knew she couldn't understand me, but it always helped me to calm down when I was younger to hear my mum talk to me in Russian.

She stopped crying almost immediately, but she didn't move. If anything she snuggled closer to me. I tightened my hold on her, and marvelled in the way her body seemed to fit perfectly with mine. The feeling of her body wrapped in mine felt amazing, and I found myself hoping it would never end. I knew it was inappropriate, but I just had the urge to help her, to comfort her.

After what seemed like hours, she sniffed and started to pull away. I let her go, but the absence of her warmth was horrible. She gave me a small smile, and whispered her thanks. I told her it was no problem, and that I hated to see her upset. When she smiled again, something inside me fluttered.

I realised with a start that my shift started at 6, and that it was quarter to already.

"Right, so I'll see you again on Wednesday?" She nodded, but looked down. I couldn't have that; I needed to see her face. I reached out and pulled her chin up to look at me.

"I need to go and start my shift now, but I'll see you on Wednesday, ok?" She nodded, but still seemed upset. "Look, if you need to talk, I'm in apartment 46, block C." I needed to let her know that I was there for her. It may have been stupid to tell her where I lived, but I wanted her to come to me if she needed anything.

She nodded again, and looked a bit happier.

"Thank you."

"For what?" I asked, confused.

"For listening." With a smile, she turned around and left.

I picked up my jacket and left a few moments after she did. I don't know why, but it felt like I would enjoy these mentoring sessions. Look forward to them, even. I liked being with someone who understood what it felt like to be a stranger in a new country, very far away from home. I think I also liked just being with Rose.

**Let me know what you think :) you know, reviews will make me update faster ... :P**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews :) i'm really glad so many of you like it :)**

The next few weeks passed with not much happening. I spoke to Janine about the security improvements, and she agreed with them all. The equipment would arrive in the next couple of weeks, and then work would start. I had gotten to know most of my personal safety class, and I had them running laps 2 hours a week. The rest was spent doing circuit training of swimming to build up their stamina. I saw Rose three times a week, and I had to admit I really looked forward to those days.

She had apologised when she next saw me for 'crying like a baby' but I told her not to be ashamed to cry, and I didn't think she was a baby. I didn't tell her this, but I thought she couldn't be less of a child. As a matter of fact, the first time I saw her in a swimming costume, my trousers got very tight and I couldn't stand up until my 'problem' when away. It wasn't even a bikini. Just the standard red and black swimming costume every girl wore.

We were getting to know each other in the mentoring sessions, and a few times she had come over to my apartment. Usually, she missed her family, or was pissed off, or just wanted to talk. I really didn't care. I was just glad she came to me. We sat on my sofa and drank coffee of hot chocolate or whatever and just talked. Sometimes we lost track of time and we missed curfew. That meant I had to escort her back to her room, but I really didn't mind because it meant I had more time with her.

The next day I woke up late and had to rush out the apartment, just having enough time to jump in and out of the shower. I had the kids running this morning, so I didn't have to prepare anything. I arrived at the gym just before the first pupils did.

I had them all stretching when I noticed Rose wasn't there. That was odd. If you're ill, you have to tell the school by 8:30, or else you get a detention, and I had no note of her absence on my register.

I tried not to let it get to me, and carried on with the class, turning around every time I heard footsteps.

At 10 the lesson finished, but there was still no sign of Rose. I locked up, and made my way over to the office, needing to speak to Janine about the CCTV cameras, all the while hoping I might just casually bump into Rose.

I didn't.

Janine agreed to order the more expensive ones, and we went over some more details, but she threw me out after she had asked me the same question three times before getting a response. "Your mind is obviously elsewhere." She said, as she closed the door behind me. And she was right. The absence of Rose was still plaguing my mind, and since it was Thursday, I didn't see her alone until tomorrow.

I headed back to my apartment, knowing I was in no fit state to be around people. I brooded for a few hours, before heading to do my shift. Nothing eventful happened, and since it was only 7, I knew I was in for a crap night.

With this in mind, when one of the guys that was supposed to be taking over my shift couldn't make it, I happily stayed on the extra 3 hours, needing something to take my mind of Rose. The extra wages were a bonus.

About an hour in and still nothing had happened. I was approaching the main gate, about to double back, when my radio chirped out the alarm, and this message came through:

"_Unidentified personnel, sighted by the back fence, behind the senior girl's dorms. All available security to make their way over, immediately."_

I was off running before the message had even finished. I was one of the first to get there, even though I was quite far away; what can I say? I can run fast.

The man was spotted trying to climb over the fence, using one of the overhanging trees. Well, I did warn them...

The flood lights were turned on and we were sent out to look for him. Four hours later, and still no luck. We tried to follow the footprints he left, but they disappeared after a few hours. We returned back to the school down heartened that we didn't find him, but glad he was stopped from entering the school.

All security guards were roped in to patrolling the perimeter for the rest of the evening, and the teachers were to patrol the corridors inside. All students were forbidden to leave their dorms until further notice, and lessons were cancelled the next day. We had no positive ID on the man, but he had been seen in the surrounding area a few times.

The next morning, and the students were still confined to their dorms. The local police were called for, and they helped us security staff to ensure the location was secure. The pupils were allowed out at mid day, but they were told to keep away from the perimeter and report any suspicious behaviour. We may have been going a little OTT, but an attempted break in to a school where most of the student body was made up of rich, powerful people's children meant no corners were cut.

The lumberjacks werecalled in and we helped them clear the surrounding forest, cutting it back at least a mile in all directions. The staff that had been hired for the next term – part of my security improvements – had been asked if they could start early, and the cameras were on overnight delivery; they would be installed tomorrow. The rest of the improvements were brought forward, and curfew for the students was to be bought forward to sunset until the security was deemed efficient.

By the end of the day, I was knackered. I had been up since half past 8 the previous morning, and I had been doing a lot of tough manual work all day. I crawled into my bed at 11pm on Friday, and did not resurface until well into the afternoon on Saturday.

**I may not updatefor a while, as this is the last chapter I have completed so far. I need to write up some more before I update... :( sorry, but more reviews will make me update faster! ;D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the reviews, keep 'em coming! :)**

Saturday afternoon was my afternoon off, but I was drafted in to help supervise the works going on. I didn't mind as it meant I had a lot more money – I was being paid over time – and I would be compensated with extra holiday.

As I worked, installing an outer perimeter and positioning security cameras, my mind kept flittering to Rose. Where was she now? How come she didn't turn up for class on Thursday? Was she ok? I tried to tell myself that my worrying was that of a concerned mentor, but I knew it was more than that. I cared about her, a lot. And I knew she cared about me too, it's just whether or not it is the same as mine.

I finished at close to sunset, but I couldn't wait until Monday to see her. I walked towards her dorm, hoping to catch her before she went into the building. I was in luck, and spotted her, walking on her own, head down, in her own little world. I walked over to her, suddenly nervous all of a sudden.

"Rose." I said, and she looked up at me, startled.

"Dimitri!" She sighed, smiling. "I thought you were someone else."

Is that good or bad? "Oh, well, sorry. If you'd arranged to meet someone, I can talk to you later..." I really hoped she'd say I could stay.

"What? No! I didn't mean...Of course I want to talk to you. But, I's nearly curfew...Do you wanna come up?" Phew, she wasn't meeting anyone. Hang on, did she say come up? As in her room?

"Sure, if...if you're sure you're not busy..." What did she mean, she thought I was someone else?

"I'm not doing anything." She grinned, "I'm never too busy to talk to you, anyway." I grinned back and gestured for her to lead the way.

Her room was on the top floor, but luckily the lift was working. It was a really small lift, just big enough for about 4 or 5 people? The size meant her perfume filled the lift, drowning out any other odour.

Her room was bigger than mine had been in high school – yes, I had gone to a boarding school as well. She didn't share her room with anyone, so she had the extra space. She had a built in wardrobe on the left hand wall, and the headrest of her double bed – I never had one of those! – was on the right. She had a bay window, looking out over the campus and countryside beyond. She had a dressing table/desk next to the wardrobe. It was littered with perfume bottles, hair bands, pens, lipstick, nail varnish and other typical things found on a young woman's dressing table. She had a mirror mounted on the wall, hanging over the table, and a full length mirror on the wall behind the door. The walls were a pale pink – not too girly-girly-sickly-sickly – and the walls were littered with photos, posters and pieces of paper.

She went over to the wardrobe and took off her outdoor wear whilst I inspected the memories that littered the wall. There were pictures of Rose with her friends outside the tower of London, on the London Eye, in Leister Square, Trafalgar Square and other monuments in London. There were also pictures of her with her family – I assumed because they all had the same eyes – in France, Italy, Egypt and other locations. Then there were the pictures of her with various people, pulling faces, in pyjamas, in school, at the shops. Then there were cinema-ticket stubs, theatre-ticket stubs. Pieces of paper with writing on them, certain sweet rappers, airplane tickets. There were even drawings on the walls, describing the photos, labelling the people or places, or just words and pictures.

She had put pieces if her lives all over the walls. These were the memories she never wanted to forget, each thing was significant to her. I also noticed that it was strange that there were no pictures of her in New York. She said she loved to visit all the monuments in the city, but there was no record of her time in New York, no proof that she was indeed living in America at present. Odd.

I was pulled out of my musings by the sound of her bedsprings creaking. She was sitting down and watching me with a small smile on her face.

"What?" I asked, self conscious.

"Nothing." She said, her smile growing wider.

"It's not nothing! Tell me!" I saw an abandoned shoe on the floor and threw it at her, purposely missing, but I think I got my point across.

"You just seem fascinated by all my junk."

"It's not junk! All these things are important to you." Then something dawned on me. "This is your way of pretending you are back at home."

"How did you know that?" She said, the smile gone now.

"You said you miss home, and there are no photos of New York. And because it's something I would do."

She just looked at me as if she was thinking about something really hard. I gestured to the window seat.

"May I?"

"Oh, of course! Sorry."

"What for?"

"For not-"

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up." I smiled, teasing her. "You are way too nice."

"Shut up! Anyway, we're not here to talk about my inability to stand up for myself." She said, smiling.

"Oh, I just wanted to see if you are ok? You didn't show up for practice on Thursday, and I didn't get to see you on Friday... Are you ok?" I didn't realise until the just how worried I had been about her.

"I'm fine. I was talking about Headmistress Petrov about some timetable issues, and she said I couldn't go to practice, that her meeting was more important. I was going to explain on Friday when we meet up, but then the thing happened, and they said you were busy installing trees and cutting down cameras or something. I'm glad you showed up when you did. I was worried about you too."

She asked where I was? I don't know why that made me feel so happy. Hang on, she was worried about me?

"Why were you worried about me?"

"Well, I know how violent John...I mean people can be, and I was worried you were hurt. They said you were there when he...the person broke in? And you were up for like, nearly two days...I was worried you would get too tired and hurt yourself...or something...I kept having nightmares of all the horrible things that could go wrong with chain saws, or stuff criminals can do...I was really worried."

"Rose, I'm fine. It was a man that broke in, but there wasn't any positive ID. No one was hurt, and I had a lot of coffee." I said smiling. I was surprised my outside was that calm. Inside, I was dancing. She was really worried about me? I was flattered – no, ecstatic – but I didn't want her losing sleep over me. Or did I?

No. I didn't.

She got up and started pacing.

"I know, but...I still worry about you. You could get hurt, and I don't know what I would do if..." She sighed. "I just worry about you."

I walked over to her and stood in her path, stopping her pacing.

"Roza, I'm fine. I'm trained to deal with difficult situations and not get hurt. So please, don't worry about me. I don't want you getting upset, especially over me." I reached for her and pulled her close, wanting to show her that I was here, and that I would always be here for her. She nuzzled her head into my chest and tightly hugged me back

"I still worry." She said, her voice muffled by my top.

"I know." I said, stroking her hair, marvelling in its softness.

We stayed for that for a few moments, before she turned her head to look at me.

"Why did you call me Roza?" She said, fiddling with the collar on my top.

"It's Russian for Rose. I won't, if you don't want me to." I said, leading her to the window seat. I swung my feet up and leant against the back wall, my right side facing the window. It was big enough for her to join me, still cuddled up to my side.

"I like it." She said, moving closer and resting her head in the crook of my neck. We stayed like that for hours, looking out at the setting sun, and then the night sky, just being happy to be close to one another. Every so often, I would point out a constellation to her, and she would ask about the story behind it.

After a while, she stopped talking and her breathing evened out. It was a few minutes before I realised she had fallen asleep. I looked down at the sleeping girl, at her creamy skin, long lashes and plump lips. She was beautiful. I really didn't want to move her, but she would wake with a crick in her neck. I gently lifted her up and placed her in her bed. She sighed slightly and rolled onto her front, getting comfy. I turned off the lights and closed the door quietly behind me.

**REVIEEEEEW! ;D x**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thanks again for all the reiviews :) I really appreciate them all x**

Three weeks later, and no more mysterious sightings or attempted break-ins. The security changes have all been tried and tested, and were all given the all-clear.

My days were split into training, shifts, sleep and Rose. We were spending more and more time together, and there was pretty much nothing we didn't talk about. The more I got to know about her, the more I wanted to know.

It was, once again, my Saturday off when I got a call that some students wanted to go off campus for a shopping trip. Great. Just my luck. One of the only days I had off and I had to spend it traipsing around a shopping centre after a bunch of spoiled teenage girls, spending all of daddy's money on clothes costing well over 20 times what it cost to make it.

It was just gone seven when the mini-van arrived. There were 7 of us going; three security guards and four students.

I was preoccupied making a list of things I would rather be doing and I didn't notice the students approaching until I heard a familiar voice.

"Rose?" I asked, looking up.

"Dimitri! I didn't know you were coming? I thought Saturday was your day off..." She smiled when she saw me, but looked confused about why I was there.

"Nope." I smiled, much happier about the prospects of spending a day with Rose. "They called me in at the last minute. One of the others cancelled, and I was free."

She grinned at me, before the girl on her right reclaimed her attentions. I recognised the other girls as Vallisa, Lily and Emily from my personal security class.

I drove, so I couldn't sit next to Rose. But when we got there, Rose walked away from her friends, and was locked in conversation with me for the next few hours. All of us wandered in and out of shops, the girls occasionally trying things on and buy things, but the morning passed with little drama. We stopped for lunch in one of the Italian cafe/restaurant type things. The girls all sat together, so I was stuck with the other security staff. Luckily, they were people around my own age, and were all surprisingly nice. We swapped work stories, and it turns out that one of the guys – Darren – was a really good laugh.

Rose and her friends were discussing a party that was coming up in a few weeks, so they went dress hunting next. I was still talking with Darren, when the other guard with us – Liam – walked over, and said in a false, calm voice:

"Is it me, or have either of you noticed that that man over there was sitting behind us in the restaurant, and has been going into the same shops as us for the past half an hour?"

What? I really wanted to glance behind me, but that would let him know we were on to him. "Where?"

"Behind the sunglasses rack, by the jeans."

I looked in a nearby mirror, and saw a man, dressing in inconspicuous jeans and a black t-shirt. He was pretending to be interested in a pair of women's jeans, but kept looking at us from over his shoulder.

Slowly, trying not to draw any unnecessary attention to me, I walked over to the girls and asked them to get a move on. Thankfully, they didn't want to buy anything, so we left the shop straight away. The girls still hadn't finished shopping, but we decided to call it a day; normally, we would have approached the 'stalker', but there weren't enough of us for that.

We also decided not to tell the girls; there was not enough evidence to prove he had been following us, and we didn't want to ruin their mood. They were still chatting and laughing when we arrived back at the academy. The three of them went off to their dorms, but Rose stayed behind. I said my goodbyes to the guys, and walked her to her dorm. We didn't say much, but it was a comfortable silence. As we approached the building, there was a cold gust of wind – surprisingly so for May – and Rose moved a bit closer. She shivered, and pulled her arms tighter around herself. I couldn't stand to see her cold, so I took off my hoodie and gave it to her. She took it, and smiled up at me.

I lived for those smiles.

I walked her to the door of the building, but I didn't go up; Rose looked tired, and as much as I wanted to stay up talking, she really did look dead on her feet.

"Thank you." She said, going to take off my hoddie.

"Don't worry, you keep it. I have plenty more, and you need it more than I do." I said, smiling.

"You really are the nicest guy I had ever met." She said, smiling once again.

"I'm just helping a pretty girl keep warm." I teased.

"Yeah yeah." She said, looking down.

She yawned, so I took it as my cue to leave.

"Goodnight, Roza."

"Night Dimitri." She replied.

Then she did something really unexpected. She leaned up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on my cheek. It was a small, quick kiss, but that simple action warmed me right to my core.

She smiled again at me, and then went inside.

It took me two whole minutes to unfreeze from the spot I was rooted to, and then it took me twice as long to get back to my own apartment.

When I got back home, I glanced over at the empty mugs on the coffee table from yesterday. I realised that she used the same mug every time she came here, and that she had made us the drinks this time, not me. She knew her way around my apartment, and had her own mug. I practically lived for the times when I would see her, and missed her like hell when she was gone. I knew her favourite colours and her favourite flowers. I knew what perfume she wore, and how strong she liked her coffee. I knew that she hated marmite, and was allergic to cherries. She loved hawaiian pizza and peanut butter and jam sandwiches. She loved bands like Paramore and Muse, but liked to listen to a bit of Michael Bublé and Adele as well. I also knew that I had bought some marmite and peanut butter just for her.

I was in love with her.

I hadn't known her for very long, but I didn't know how my life functioned without her. I could tell her anything and know she would never judge me. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever met. It wasn't just about her looks. She was one of the most caring people I knew; she often spoke of how worried she was about her sister and how she wished she could help her.

I was in love with her, and I wanted to tell her.

**At long last! He he! REVIEW PLEASE! XD**

**...what do you guys think of a lemon in the next chapter, or two? but between whom...? **


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews. However, there are more than ****3000**** hits, but only 76 reviews? ...I have decied that I won't update again, until 100 :) mean, I know, but all I ask is that you give me your honest opinion. Every review is valued :) x**

The next day I woke up way before my alarm went off. I had had hardly any sleep, but I needed to see Rose. I showered and dressed quicker than I usually did. I was eager to see her, but I realised that she would probably be asleep. It was Sunday, and one of her only two days off from school, so, as much as I wanted to run to her now and tell her, I decided to leave her to have a day of rest.

Two hours later, and I was seriously regretting my decision. I cleaned my apartment, twice, and I had done _all_ my washing and – shock horror – I did the ironing as well. Don't get me wrong, I don't go round wearing wrinkled clothes or anything, but I absolutely HATE ironing.

I was really struggling with the whole 'don't go near Rose' thing, but I didn't want to hassle her. At least, that is what I told myself every time I thought about her, which was like every minute.

I honestly did _everything _I could to keep away from Rose, but it was getting harder and harder. By 4:00pm, I was so desperate that I called down to the main office and offered to check all the security improvements, again, and wondered if there were any shifts I could take.

It took me three hours to do all the checks, and I was working an extra shift until 10. I went back up to my apartment, showered, and prayed for sleep to come. An hour later, and still no avail. I tried counting sheep, reciting my 14 times tables, reciting the alphabet in Japanese, and still sleep wouldn't come; my mind kept wondering back to Rose, and I would get all nervous and worked up, making me more awake than ever.

I sighed, and tried one last method; reading. I got up and retrieved a book from my shelf. It was one of the ones I had been given as a present for a birthday, or Christmas or whatever. I had tried reading it once before, but the story line was no-existent and it was a very bad translation – the book was originally published in French, but was changed into Russian. It was perfect.

I opened the first page, and started to read.

My alarm woke me up with a start. I hadn't even realised I had fallen asleep. I jumped up, and got dressed, ridiculously eager to get to work. Work. It was Monday, so I had a class first thing; Rose was in that class. However, I couldn't talk to her there, not with everyone else there. Luckily, we had a mentoring session planned, and she always came round mine on a Monday. I grinned. There was no better place for her to tell her. It was out of the public eye, and she felt comfortable here. A small part of me whispered that she could also make a quick escape. My mood plummeted. Of course she didn't love me. I wasn't anything special, and she...well, she was amazing.

Then I remembered what happened on Saturday, and I found myself smiling again. I was in too much of a rush to see her, so I skipped breakfast and rushed to the gym. I had all the equipment set out in record time, leaving me with nearly half an hour to fidget.

When the first students walked through the doors, I jumped up, eager to get the lesson underway. Rose was one of the last to arrive, but she still gave me a smile before she got started. That was the extent of our contact in the lesson, but I felt better just having her near.

The rest of the day dragged past. I was in meeting after meeting, discussing any further improvements, the budget, the staff etc. My shift started at two, so I was finished by five. I went back to my apartment, showered and changed. By six, I was bouncing in my seat, standing and pacing, then sitting back down again. After 20 minutes of it, I decided to check my emails.

_Dimka,_

_I'm so glad you are settled in at your new job. Zoya is babbling non-stop now. We think she will start talking proper words soon. She is the spitting of Katrina, but she defiantly has Istavan's eyes. Paul has started school, and is quite the charmer. Katrina went to a meet-the-teacher evening, and his teacher said Paul had many girlfriends. I remember when you were that small Dimka. It seems only yesterday that you were dressed in your new uniform and off to school._

_How are you? And who is this Rose that you talk so much about? You seem to be very fond of her..._

_I will send photos of everyone soon._

_I love you,_

_Mama xx_

I hadn't realised that I had said so much about Rose to my mother, but looking through my sent emails, I had spoke of little else. I typed a quick reply about the upgrades and what I was up to – purposely avoiding talking about Rose. If I told my mother how I really felt and Rose said no, I would feel a fool. Similarly, if I said we were just friends and Rose said yes, I would look like a liar. The thought of Rose returning my feelings made me smile.

I was just finishing when I heard a quiet knock on the door. With a start I looked up at the clock. It was 7:03. It was Rose. I rushed to the door and threw it open.

I was met with Rose, looking absolutely stunning in a floral dress that came just above her knees. She was grinning from ear to ear and was holding out a Chinese take-away box.

"I come bearing gifts." She stated, ducking under my arm and entering the apartment. I didn't know quite how to get started, so I guessed it could wait until we had eaten.

I closed the door, and turned to look for her, but she was already getting out plates and glasses. I helped her by getting the cutlery, and we sat down on the sofa. I divided the food between the two plates while she turned on the TV. Just the fact that she seemed so at home here, made part of me sing with joy.

We watched some drama/soap thing whilst eating, but I couldn't help glancing at her every few minutes. More than once I caught her doing the same thing. When our eyes met we smiled and turned back towards the TV. I cleared the plates once we were finished, and served us some cheesecake that she had also bought round. We polished it off quickly, and she turned the TV off. This was usually the part where we started talking about how she was doing, but this time, neither of us said anything.

I noticed she had a bit of cream on the corner of her mouth, and I reached out to get rid of it. I wanted to kiss it off, but I used my finger instead. She froze under my touch, and watched my finger as it moved away. Quicker than I could have thought, she grabbed hold of my wrist and bought my finger back to her mouth. She sucked off the cream from my finger, and looked up at me when she did. Her eyes were full of so much emotion that I found it impossible to look away. My finger was still in her mouth, and I felt her tongue dart forward and licked it.

I swallowed hard, and tried not to think of what the action symbolised. She released my finger, but I didn't move my hand away. Instead, I traced her cheekbone with my fingers, marvelling in how soft her skin was.

"Roza." I whispered, knowing I had to start. "I've never felt this way about anyone. I can't ignore it anymore." She reached out and touched my face, mimicking my actions. "I-I can't stop thinking about you. I find myself ready to do whatever you want, no questions asked. I live for the times when I see you, when I get to know you. You are the most amazing person I have ever met. You are so caring and understanding, but you have a fierceness about you. You amaze me. When I saw you that time in the office and you were crying, I hated to see you upset. I didn't even know your name, but I needed to stop you being so unhappy. And then, when you cried because you missed your family, I needed to let you know that I was here for you, whatever the situation. Because it's true. I wonder how I ever functioned without you. I...I love you, Rose. I love you." She was crying by then end of it, and she stayed silent for a few moments, before leaning towards me.

"I love you too, Dimitri." She whispered. The feeling that coursed through me was unnerving, staggering. "I-" But I cut her off by closing the remaining distance between us. I pressed my lips to hers in a chastise kiss, but it was the most amazing kiss I had ever experienced. The electricity that I had felt whenever she touched me was magnified tenfold, and I knew I was never going to let this creature go.

As my lips moved against hers, she moved her hands and wound them in my hair. I wrapped my arms around her waist and pulled her close, never wanting there to be any space between us ever again. The kiss was sweet and loving, but soon the intensity picked up. Her tongue traced my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth, granting her access. She moaned as our tongues danced together, caressing and stroking. It made me shiver and I pulled her even closer. She was the one to break away for breath, but I refused to move my mouth away from her skin. I kissed her neck, lapping and sucking at the silky skin. She arched her neck into my mouth and groaned when I nibbled. I moved my lips back to hers, and we kissed passionately for what seemed like hours.

The world seemed to stop when her small hands moved down my neck and played with my shirt collar. She broke away again, but this time she was the one kissing my neck. Her mouth was so hot and wet, that I found myself moaning just like she did. My breath caught when she undid the top button of my shirt. She was looking up at me as if asking for permission.

"Roza." I panted, "Are you sure you want this?" I hoped desperately that she said yes, but I would stop if she said no.

"I want you." She panted, the sound made the uncomfortable tightening in my trousers even worse. She undid the next button, as if to prove her point.

I surrendered and brought my lips back to hers. She made quick work of my shirt, and traced my chest with her hands, making me shiver. I knew I wouldn't last long, but I didn't want our first time to be on my couch.

"Roza, please look at me." She complied, and there was so much love in her eyes, it was unreal. "Do you really want to do this? I don't want to force you into anything."

"I love you." She breathed, moving her hand down to my trousers to brush the mound that had formed. I groaned and kissed her roughly.

I wrapped my arms around her waist once again and lifted her up off the couch, never breaking the kiss. I moved as fast as I could to the door to my right, and opened it, all the while keeping her as close as could be. I headed over to the middle of the room and lay her on my bed. She looked up at me, panting for breath.

***M scene***

I leaned forward and kissed her again. I placed my hands on her thighs and made little circled with my thumbs. I slid my hands higher and higher, bringing the dress with me. She sat up and I pulled the dress off over her head, exposing her lace bra and pantie set. I groaned again and kissed her with as much passion I could muster. Her mouth burned against mine, and I ached to take her right now. But I wanted to take it slow. She was only 17, and she didn't seem the type to sleep around. This may very well be her first time. I wished it were mine. I wanted to say I had had her and only her, but I was glad that my experience with sex would make sure she would enjoy it. A lot.

I ran my hands over her flat stomach and moved up her ribs, memorising the way her skin felt against mine. I traced the outside of her bra with my fingers, before cupping her breasts in my hands and squeezing slightly. She moaned and threw her head back, arching into my hands. I moved my thumbs in little circles over her hard nipples and had the pleasure of hearing her whimper. I slid my hands underneath her back and unfastened the clasp, letting the bra fall and expose her beautiful body.

I traced my thumbs on the underside if her breasts, marvelling at how much softer the skin was here. I moved my fingers back up to her nipples, and seeing them so hard, so pink; I just had to taste them. I captured the right one in my mouth and sucked. Rose cried out and grabbed my hair, arching her breast even more into my mouth. I licked and sucked, whilst using my other hand to rub and pinch the other. I switched, and made the circuit a few times before it got too much. I needed to feel her. I moved my hands to her hips and kissed a trail over her flat stomach to the top of her panties. I hooked my thumbs underneath them, pulled them down the legs and threw them over my shoulder. I kissed my way back up her thigh before I took hold of her knees and spread her legs open.

I groaned at the sight that was waiting for me. She was totally bare, and soaking wet. I moved my finger and stroked her clit, making her cry out my name and her back arch off the bed. I massaged the sensitive flesh some more before slipping one finger inside of her. She was so hot, so wet, that I leaned my forehead on her stomach and moaned. I pumped my finger in and out of her, making her cry out my name again and again.

"More." She gasped. "More."

I slipped another finger inside her, and massaged that spot deep inside her. She screamed my name again, and I never wanted to stop hearing it. I picked up my pace, and so did her breathing.

"Oh, God." She moaned, writhing at my touch.

It wasn't enough, though, so I removed my fingers and replaced it with my mouth. I kissed her bundle of nerves before tracing her opening with my tongue, moaning at the taste. She groaned at the vibrations and arched her back once more. I slipped my tongue inside her, and lapped up her juices. She cried out over and over as I licked that spot inside her, bringing her to the edge. She was so close; I could feel her walls quivering. I reached up and pinched her nipple, and she exploded. She screamed out my name, and that nearly made me blow as well. I rode out the orgasm with her, drinking everything she gave me.

She let out a huge sigh and flopped back down onto the bed. Her breathing was just as hard as mine, and her chest was flushed. I moved back up to her lips and kissed her long and hard. She moaned at the taste of herself on my tongue, and moved her hands down to my jeans. She fumbled with the button, so I pushed her hands away and took them off. It left me with only my boxers on. I kissed her neck, finding her pulse point and sucking. She moved her hands up and down my chest before tracing my V and slipping her hands into my boxers. She stroked my cock and I reflexively bucked into her hands. She moved her hands up and down, driving me insane.

I reached down and removing the last piece of clothing, freeing myself. She massaged my dick, and then squeezed my balls, all the while watching. I cried out at the feeling, and nearly lost it. I pushed her hand away and leaned back up to kiss her. She wrapped her legs around my waist and drew me closer.

"Wait." I gasped out. "Condom."

She shook her head and panted "I'm on the pill."

With that I grabbed hold of her knees and spread her legs as far as they could go. Again, I moaned at the sight and positioned myself at her entrance. I looked up, asking for permission, and she nodded, her eyes hooded with lust. I slowly pushed myself into her, letting out a long breath as I felt her surrounding me. She was so tight, so hot, so wet. I pushed until I felt a barrier. It was then I knew she was a virgin. I leaned forward and propped myself up on my forearms, placing them either side of her head. I waited until she looked into my eyes before slowly pushing again. Her face scrunched up in pain and I stopped immediately.

"No. Don't stop." She gasped. "It only hurts a little bit." But I knew it hurt a lot more than she was letting on.

"Just relax, Roza." I murmured, kissing her until I felt her muscles relax. I started to push again, and I broke her barrier. She gasped at the pain, but I kept on slowly pushing until I filled her.

We lay there, breathing heavily until I felt her relax again and she looked up at me. She rolled her hips and we both groaned at the feeling. I moved out of her nearly all the way before pushing back into her. She gasped again, but this time it was in pleasure. I set a slow and steady pace, drowning in the sensation of me filling her completely, stretching her, pleasuring her, making love to her, my lips sliding over her skin, whispering her name.

As I felt her walls constricting again, I sped up, shifting my hips so I could reach the spot inside her.

"Yes, yes!" she cried, every time I hit her just right. I carried on, speeding up, pushing harder.

She screamed my name louder than ever before as I pushed her over the edge, and the feeling of her wetness soaking me made me explode too, harder than I had ever before. I cried out her name as I spilled into her. We continued to move, riding out the waves together. I pulled out of her and we both groaned at the loss of contact.

***End of M scene***

I rolled over onto my side, pulling her with me, wrapping her up in my arms, pulling the duvet over us. She rested her head against my chest, placing her hand over my racing heart. She kissed my neck, and snuggled closer into my embace.

"I love you." She whispered, closing her eyes.

"I love you too, Roza." I replied, kissing her hair. "So much."

With that, we fell asleep in each other's embrace.

**What do you think? :) xx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks for the reviews :) and, as promised, here's chapter 8 :)**

When I awoke the next morning, and when I saw what was waiting for me, I thought I was still dreaming. Rose was sleeping on my chest, her arms wrapped around my neck, our legs entangled. Very carefully, I traced the shape of her shoulder with my hand, still fascinated by the softness of her skin. She had an almost smile on her face, and her lips were a bit swollen from kissing. She was breathing deeply, almost soft snores. Beautiful. I watched her sleeping for about half an hour before her breathing changed and her eyes fluttered open.

She saw me looking at her and smiled.

"Hey." She murmured drowsily, tightening her grip on my neck.

"Morning." I murmured, kissing her lips.

After the long, languid kiss, she stretched and winced.

"Are you ok?" I asked, panicked that I had hurt her.

"I'm fine. Just a bit sore." She smiled, kissing me again.

"Oh, Roza, I'm so sorry. I-" she cut me off with another kiss, still smiling.

"Dimitri, don't worry. It's a 'good' sore." Her voice dropped on the last sentence, her eyes darkening as she looked up at me through her lashes.

"Roza." I moaned, pulling her closer, kissing her deeply. Her hand moved her hand down my chest, but I caught it before she reached below my belly button. "Don't. You're still sore. Let me take care of you first." I pleaded, nuzzling her neck.

"Mmmmmmm." She hummed, her fingers tangling in my hair. I kissed her soundly once more before I moved away and got out of bed. "Where are you going?" She asked, confused. She reached out towards me; an invitation that was almost impossible to resist.

"Give me a minute." I pulled on my boxers that were on the floor and went into the bathroom. I started to run her a bath, making it hot and full of bubbles. I left it running while I went back to the bedroom. She was sitting up in bed, but she had gone into my closet and put on one of my shirts. There were only a few buttons done up, and I had a lot of trouble refraining from giving her a repeat performance of last night.

She climbed out of my bed and walked over to me. She wrapped her arms round my neck and stretched up on her tiptoes to place a kiss on my lips. I held onto her hips tightly, removing the space between us. She tucked her head into the crook of my neck, and we stood there for an immeasurable moment of time. Then I remembered the bath.

"Come on Roza." I said, bending down and lifting her legs up in my arms. She giggled and held onto me tight, our faces nearly touching. I carried her into the bathroom and kissed her again before setting her down. "A bath will make you feel better."

"But I feel fine, I-" I cut off her complaints by putting my finger over her lips.

"Please, let me take care of you Roza." I stared into her eyes, loosing myself in their bottomless depths. She nodded, still staring at me.

I turned off the taps and tested the water. I stood up and undid her buttons, v-e-r-y slowly, studying every part of exposed flesh I could see. I noticed that there was a red mark on her neck from where I had been sucking on her neck yesterday. She didn't seem to mind, and a little bit of me was glad she had a mark that made her mine. I slid the shirt off her shoulders and marvelled at the stunning woman that stood before me. I reached forward and pulled her back to me, burying my face in her hair.

"You are so beautiful." I whispered.

"I love you." She said, hugging me back fiercely.

I released her and helped her get into the bath. She winced when she lowered herself into the water, but she relaxed after a little bit, smiling up at me then closing her eyes and leaning back.

"I'll go and make breakfast." I said, leaning down to kiss her. "What do you want?"

"I don't mind." She sighed, sinking lower into the water. "I'll have whatever you're having."

With that I left the bathroom and pulled in the jeans that had been discarded last night. I then went on to retrieve our clothes that had been strewn around my room. I also called work to let them know that I was taking some of that leave that they promised me. I then went on to cook some bacon and scramble some eggs. I was just buttering the toast when Rose emerged from the bathroom, dressed in a white fluffy towel.

"Have you got any spare clothes?" She asked, smiling.

"Sure." I said, going over and taking her hand. She squeezed back, and followed me to my closet. She stood in front of it, choosing what to wear. I wrapped my arms around her waist from behind and rested my chin on her shoulder. She reached up and stroked my hair, leaning her head against mine. I kissed her collar bone and moved away. "I'll leave you to get dressed."

I carried on serving breakfast, and I was just finishing when she came out, dressed in my NYU t-shirt. The top only just covered her arse, and it was torture trying to keep my hands off her.

Rose made a quick phone call from her mobile, saying she had come down with the flu and wouldn't be attending lessons today. I was about to tell her not to put her education on hold for me, when she said the only lessons she had this week were recapping the topics – something that happened every few months, just to make sure the student were on track – and she was comfortable on all the topics.

We made small talk whilst eating breakfast, sometimes stopping to kiss or grope each other. We cleared the plates away and snuggled up on the sofa, flicking through the channels, and just enjoying being close to each other. After a few hours we got bored of pretending to watch TV so I turned it off and lay down on the sofa, bringing Rose with me. I ran my fingers up and down her arms, tracing patterns. She was doing the same to me, but on my leg.

"Roza," I started, having wondered about this before, but I was distracted..."How...how come...well, you know..."

"You look so adorable when you are embarrassed" she said, kissing my nose. "What? I really don't mind, whatever it is, just ask me."

"Ok. How come you are on the pill...if you've never, you know, slept with anyone before?" I hid my face in her hair to hide my blushing face.

"Oh. Because it regulates things, you know, girl things." She said, running her fingers through my hair. "Why do you ask?"

"I was just wondering." I said, thankful that it wasn't anything like having a secret boyfriend, or planning to see anyone.

"Dimitri." She said. I looked up at her, gazing into her eyes that were full of love.

"Yes?" I murmured.

"I really do love you. You know that, right?" She started biting her lips, her eyes looking nervous.

"I do, Roza. Why do you ask?" I wondered, pushing the hair off her face, tracing the lines of her nose and lips with my fingers.

"Because, I know what it seems like, me being on the...well, you know...and I...I didn't get the chance yesterday – not that I'm complaining – but I've never felt this way about anyone. Ever. And I know you are 5 years older than me, but I really do love you. I don't know what I would do without you." She still looked so nervous.

"Roza. I trust you. Whatever you say is the truth, I believe you." I leaned down and used my lips to free hers from her teeth. I was worried that she would draw blood, and I was the only one who should be nibbling her; anywhere. "I love you."

And with that, she grabbed my face and kissed me with so much passion it surprised me. I thought she had got it all out yesterday; I was wrong. This kiss was more animalistic than the others, our tongues fighting for dominance. She sat up and straddled my hips, causing my erection to grow harder. She rocked slightly, and I groaned really loudly. If there wasn't a ridiculously sexy woman sitting on my hips, I would have been embarrassed. She continued for a few moments, before I grabbed hold of her hips and stopped her.

"What-" She stared, looking confused.

I kissed her again, but flipped us over until I was hovering over her.

"Roza, I know you want to continue and, believe me, I want to too, but you must be still sore." I saw she was about to interrupt, so I carried on. "I know you're about to say you're fine, but I don't want to hurt you." I traced her jaw with my lips before looking into her eyes.

She stared right back at me, and then kissed me. It was a slow, sensual kiss, and the fact that she never broke eye contact with me made it even more intense.

"Thank you." She whispered, before pulling me close.

"For what?" I murmured. She wasn't saying 'thanks for not having sex with me', was she?

"For caring." She said, with tears in her eyes.

"Oh, Roza." I said, catching and escaped tear from the corner of her eye.

"No, listen. There have been some bad things in my life, and I've often thought that people don't care about me. Seeing how concerned you are about me, even if it is totally unneeded, it...it just...I can't say how much it means to me..." She was crying properly by the end of it, and I sat us up, pulling her closer and holding on to her for dear life.

"What is it, Roza? What is so bad that made you think that no one cares?"

"I...I can't talk about it just yet, but I promise you, I will tell you. Soon. Just..." I cut her off with a kiss, wanting to stop her tears.

It worked, and we continued to kiss, the intensity continually growing. We removed items of clothing from one another, which left us in our underwear. We made sure it didn't get further that touching, and the occasional tasting.

We spent the rest of the day in our underwear, not bothering to get dressed, because we knew that the other would soon have us out of it. However, it soon got dark, and I was wondering if she would stay another night. I desperately hoped she would, but there were numerous reasons why she wouldn't. Her lack of clean clothes and the fact she had school in the morning were a few.

We ordered pizza from the Pizza express on campus, and I had to put some clothes on to answer the door. As soon as I paid the delivery guy, Rose attacked me, stripping me down to my underwear quicker than I thought possible. We kissed, and groped and kissed some more, before she remembered the pizza, which was defiantly cold by now. We cuddled up on the sofa again, eating the cold pizza, pretending not to notice the dark sky outside, or the clock showing the passing time. We had dragged the dinner on for as long as we could, but it was nearly 10, when I said:

"Roza, it's nearly 10. I don't know-"

"Do you want me to leave?" She asked in a small voice.

"NO!" I nearly shouted. "Of course I want you to stay, I was just wondering if you...I don't know...wanted to go back to your dorm and get some clothes?"

"Actually, I think I do need to pop back for a few things." She said, standing up. She out her dress back on, and started to leave.

"Wait." I said, getting up and joined her. I pulled her in for a kiss, before letting her go. "Don't be too long." I said, and she grinned up at me.

She left, and I went about cleaning up the pizza box and plates. I made my bed again, and got changed. I was pacing once again, counting the seconds until she was back.

She was only about 20 minutes, but it was 20 minutes too long. I lifted her up as soon as the door closed, and kissed her hard. She dropped the bag she was holding and responded with just as much force. She wrapped her legs around my waist, and I walked backwards until her back was up against the wall. She had changed into the red tank top she was wearing that day of the first mentoring session and a pair of denim shorts. Very short shorts.

I pulled the top over her head, and was astonished – and very aroused – to see she had no bra on underneath.

"I didn't see the point. I hoped you would rip it off me anyway, so I saved you the trouble." She teased, making me groan and assault her mouth with mine again. I fondled her breasts whilst doing so, noticing how well they fit into my hands. She made quick work of my shirt, and I replaced my hands with my mouth, making her gasp. I wrapped my arms round her waist and walked us into my bedroom. We fell onto the bed, and got rid of the rest of our clothes quickly.

***M scene***

She still had her panties on, and I was working to fix that problem when she stood up and got off me.

"Wh-?" I was about to ask, but she looked at me with lust filled eyes and breathlessly demanded that I sit up. I did so, putting my feet on the floor, still confused.

Realisation dawned on me when she knelt down, placing her hands on my thighs.

"Roza, you don't need to do that, not if you don't want to..." God I wanted her mouth on me, but didn't want her to feel obliged.

"I need to taste you." She said; her voice low and husky with want. I gulped and words escaped me.

She pushed on my chest so I was leaning back on my forearms, and spread my legs, a lot like I had done to her yesterday. She crawled between them, not taking her eyes off my cock. She started off by licking my thighs, getting purposely close to where I needed her mouth before changing onto the next leg. She then licked her way up the vein on the underside of my erection; I had to grab hold of the cushion to stop myself grabbing her hair and making her mouth fuck me. She then took each of my balls into her mouth, swirling her tongue all over them, nibbling slightly, making me gasp and swear in Russian.

She the nibbled her way up the vein, giving me goose bumps and making me harder than I already was – if that were possible. She licked the bead of pre-cum, before kissing my tip and taking me throat deep into her mouth. I cried out her name, and knotted my fingers in her hair, not being able to resist anymore. Her mouth was so hot, so wet. Her tongue was swirling all around me, making my head spin. I guided her head up and down my shaft; drowning in the feeling of her silky soft hair in my fingers and mouth sucking me in. She used one of her hands to pump what couldn't fit in her mouth and the other one to massage my balls. I really wanted to let go then and cum down her throat, but I needed to be inside of her this time.

"Roza." I choked out. She looked up at me though her lashes, and continued sucking me off, I nearly came then and there. "I...need...to be in...inside...inside you." I gasped; she had started moving faster. She released my cock with a pop, and positioned me back to laying on the bed. She took off her panties, straddled my hips again, and rose up onto her knees.

Gradually, she lowered herself onto my cock, taking it slowly as I stretched her once again. When I was ball deep, she put her hands on my chest and rocked her hips, a lot like she had done this morning.

"Jesus Christ." I shouted. The feeling of her all around me was all-consuming. She grinned and did it again. I let out a stream of Russian profanities, and grabbed hold of her hips. I lifted her up so I was half in her, and then raised my hips, bucking into her. She moaned and leaned back onto my bent knees. The angle she was at now meant I was hitting that spot again.

I moved my hips up and down, going much faster than I had done last time. Then, she straightened up and leaned forward, grabbing the headboard that was behind my head. This meant her breasts were right above my head, and when I bucked into her, the moved with the motion. I was captivated, and watched them bounce as I fucked her hard and fast. She met every thrust with equal force panting out my name, making us both get to the edge faster. I grabbed one of her bouncing breasts in my mouth and sucked hard, probably giving her another hickey. She cried out and I felt her walls tighten around me. I bit down on her nipple hard, and she screamed. She milked me for all she was worth, and when I looked down to where we were joined, I joined her in ecstasy too.

***end of M scene***

We crashed into a pile, once again entangling our limbs. Our breaths evened out and our heartbeats slowed and we gazed at each other. There was no doubt in my mind that I was in love with her.

"I've wanted to do that since the first day I saw you." She said, still breathing hard.

"Me too." I gasped, amazed at how such a wonderful creature could ever love me.

Once again, I fell asleep with Rose in my arms.

**Review :) xx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you for the reviews :) x**

My alarm woke us both up the next morning.

"Dimitri, what is that God-awful noise?" Roza groaned, pulling the duvet up over her head.

"My alarm." I yawned, reaching over to turn it off. I sighed, and started to get out of bed. "C'mon Roza, we've got to get up." I said, groggily.

She yawned and sat up, rubbing her eyes and looking around.

"Dimitri?" She asked.

"Mmmm?" I said, retrieving the clothes that had been strewn around the floor.

"Can I have a shower?"

"Sure, I'll show you how to work it." She hopped out of bed, and I gulped. She was still naked, and I was hypnotised. She walked towards me and grabbed my hand.

"Wipe that drool off your chin and come help me shower." I grinned, and let her lead me into the bathroom.

We took a shower together, which took nearly an hour, and then spent another half an hour in bed. It was nearly half 8 by the time we were both dressed. We decided that she was to leave first and head back to her dorm so as not to raise suspicion. Even though I was not forbidden to have relationships with the students, we didn't want to flaunt it.

When the time came, I hated to see her go, but she was coming back over tonight, and I would see her in class this morning. I kissed her goodbye, and all but pushed her out the door – I _really_ hated to see her go, but if I had let her stay any longer, we wouldn't have made it out the door in the next few hours, and I didn't want her missing any more classes. She had been gone for about half a minute, when my phone buzzed.

_I miss you already ~ R xxxx_

I grinned, and typed out a reply.

_I miss you too, the apartment is too quiet without you ~ D xxxx_

It was true; a deafening silence had descended on the apartment the moment she left.

_I am literally counting down the minutes till 4 ~ R xxxx_

_Me too...505...~ D xxxx_

I made my way down to the gym floating on cloud nine. The girl I was in love with loved me too. We had spent the last two days together, and they were the happiest days of my life. I never wanted her away from me, and the thought of her spending the day at school, then coming home to me made me dizzy with joy. It was like we were a real couple. With a start, I realised that was what we were. I hadn't even realised that I had made it to the gym, and was snapped out of my thoughts by Jesse and Keith arriving. I couldn't be bothered to set up all the equipment for circuit training, so I made them all run laps outside.

Roza arrived next, and shot daggers at Jesse and Keith. I was also a bit pissed that I hadn't been able to talk – kiss – her. When everyone had arrived, I had them running for nearly 40 mins before I said they could go in early. The kids all rushed off, excited about the thought of an extra half an hour before school.

A tap on my shoulder alerted me that not all the students had run off. Roza was behind me, grinning.

"Come on." She said, walking back into the gym. I followed her, glancing around first to make sure we were alone; we were.

She was waiting just behind the door, and grabbed my hand, rushing us into the women's changing room before locking the door, and pushing me up against it. She kissed me hard, her hands winding in my hair, deepening the kiss. I wrapped my arms around her hips, responding with just as much force. She broke for air first, but I leaned my forehead against hers, not wanting any space between us.

"I've missed you." She murmured, returning her lips to mine.

"I've missed you too."I said, in between kisses.

We stayed in the changing room right up until the start of the first lesson. Roza wanted to stay – and I wanted her too – but I didn't want her falling behind because of me. The rest of the day passed in a blur. I had a meeting with a few of the governors about funding issues, but luckily some of the rich parents made donations in return for protecting their children. By 1 I was starting my shift. For the first hour or so, I was walking with a guy called Nathan. He was ok, a bit stuck up, but we were getting on fine.

"Dude, what is wrong with you?" He asked suddenly. I looked up form my watch, confused. "You check you watch every five minutes! Time isn't going to move slower if you stop looking at it, you know."

"Oh, sorry." I hadn't realised I had been checking it that often. I was just eager for the shift to end, so I could see Roza.

"Whatever. What are you like, so eager for anyway?" I said nothing. "Is it a chick?" Again, I said nothing. "It so is! What's her name? Is she fit? Have you fucked her yet? Is she any good? Does she give head?" I was about to tell him to fuck off, when I heard a commotion a few meters away, just around the corner. "Dude, what's that?"

"I don't know. Just, shut up a minute." I started to run towards the noise, and I heard Nathan behind me. When I turned the corner, I saw one of the guards I was with the shops with – Darren. He was lying on the floor, unconscious with a leg wound. The dog he was with looked like he had been shot.

"What the fuck..." Nathan started to approach Darren, but I held him back.

"Some one's gotten in." I reached for my radio, and alerted the others that there was an intruder on sight, possibly armed. Within ten minutes, the school was in lock down, the students told to return to their dorms immediately, and all staff was on high alert. I sent a quick text to Roza, asking if she was ok. She was in her dorm, thank God. I said if she still wanted to, she could still come over, but I would collect her. Of course, she said yes. The security cameras were checked, and it looked like the same man from a few weeks ago; he was wearing a balaclava.

The grounds were searched, but no sign of the intruder. However, we knew he was still on sight, because there was only one exit – every member of security was around the perimeter, effectively making another fence of people inside the grounds. It was gone 8 when Janice came up to me and finally told me to go home. Seeing as I was up early to run a class, and had been working a long shift. Usually, I would have offered to stay on, but I wanted to see Roza. I told her to meet me at the door to her dorm building, and I escorted her back to my place. No one saw us, as they were searching the elementary campus at the time.

When we reached my apartment, she attacked me.

"I-was-so-worried-about-you." She said in between kisses. She held me close, resting her head in the crock of my neck.

"Please, Roza." I said, stroking her hair. "Don't worry about me." She gave me one of those looks, and led me to the sofa. We sat there, wrapped up in each other's arms for quite a while, before I heard her stomach rumble. I made us dinner, and we spent the rest of the evening just lounging around, making love multiple times, but we also snuggled up on my sofa and watched TV. When it got dark again, she grabbed my hand and took me into the bedroom. We had just recovered from slow, sensual intercourse, and I knew that we were not going to get up to anything. She climbed into bed, and patted the space next to her. I joined her and pulled her closer.

"I was worried about you too, you know." I whispered into her hair.

"Now, that _is_ stupid." She said, kissing me neck.

She yawned, and snuggled closer.

"Night." She said, closing her eyes.

"Goodnight Roza."

"Mmmmm, I love you." She slurred, already falling asleep.

"I love you too."

"_Belikov. Belikov. Are you there? Belikov!"_ A shrill voice woke me up. I looked at the clock.

2:29 am. I groaned and moved closer to Roza, hoping that whatever it was would go away soon.

"_Belikov. There is a situation down in the senior dorms. BELIKOV!"_ I rolled over and felt around my bedside table, looking for my radio.

"What?" I groaned, still half asleep.

"_There has been a break-in in the senior girls' dorm. I need you to get over here ASAP."_

I was awake now. "Ok, give me ten minutes." Gently, trying not to wake Roza, I rolled out of bed, and got dressed into my uniform.

"Dimitri? Where are you going?" I had failed, and Roza was sitting up in bed, still half asleep.

"I'm needed. There has been a break-in. Go back to sleep, I'll be back soon." I walked over to her side of the bed and kissed her head. She got back under the covers, and fell back asleep.

I left her a note anyway, explaining where I had gone, and that I would lock the door. The campus would still be under lock down tomorrow, so she could stay here. I also left her the spare key, in case she wanted to leave.

When I got down to the campus, a chaotic sight awaited me. All the windows on the first three floors were shattered, the doors kicked in and one of the common rooms had smoke billowing out of it. All the students were standing opposite the building, huddling together. I spotted Janice examining the damage. I jogged over to her.

"Janice, what's going on?"

"Someone broke in. They made their way all the way up to the top floor, and they broke in to the rooms up there. They didn't take anything, or hurt anyone. They smashed all the windows and set the common room on fire on their way out."

"Any positive ID?" They had made their way all the way up to the top of the building, why didn't they take anything?

"It was the man that broke-in earlier. He still had the balaclava on, but the height and build match the man that tried to break-in a few weeks earlier."

"Any idea what they were looking for?"

"No. But it seems like he was searching for someone. The girls said he didn't look for anything, but wanted to see their faces. He didn't find the person he was looking for, so he left."

"Where is he now?"

"He escaped. Whilst security was heading over here, he climbed over the fence. No finger prints were left behind...It was the perfect crime."

"How did he get past the electric fence?"

"He cut the wires. How on earth someone missed a man hacking at 3inch thick wires is still a mystery to me."

There really wasn't much I could do. I interviewed the girls whose rooms were broken into, and the students were moved into the other senior girls dorm – the one Roza stayed in. The damaged building was taped off, and extra security was drafted in for the other dorms. Janice said I could go back to sleep, considering I was up early. She also gave me the day off – something about working too hard – and I wasn't complaining; I was dead on my feet. I stumbled into my apartment at nearly 6, and I crawled under the covers.

"Everything ok?" Roza slurred, as I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her closer, so her back was right against my chest.

"Mmmm, much better now." I said, falling back to sleep.

**What do you think? x**


	10. Chapter 10

**Sorry for taking so long to upload this, I just had to get caught up with everything, and I've got exams coming up etc...**

**Anyway, here it is :) Thanks for the reviews x**

I woke up to the smell of something cooking and the sound of the radio. Then I noticed that I was alone in the bed. I shuffled into the kitchen, following the sound of singing.

"Morning. I didn't hear you get up." I groaned, collapsing into a nearby chair.

"Oh, Sleeping Beauty awakes. Afternoon." She stopped singing, and turned to look at me.

"What time is it?"

"Gone 1." She laughed, setting down a cup of black coffee in front of me.

"Why didn't you wake me?" I asked, gulping down the beverage.

"You looked so peaceful. And you had been up at half two in the morning, not getting back till nearly 7."

"Oh, well thank you." I got up and walked over to where she was cooking. I wrapped my arms around her waist, and rested my chin on her shoulder. "What you cooking?"

"Pancakes. You hungry?"

"Mmmm, very." I said, nibbling on her earlobe. We spent the rest of the day lounging around, not really doing anything. I checked my emails whilst Roza was doing some coursework. My mother was worrying about me, again, so I didn't tell her about the break in. However, I did tell her about Roza. Of course, I left out all the 'details', but I explained that she was younger than me, but it was legal and everything. She sent some photos of Zoya, and she really did look a lot like Katrina, but there was defiantly some Istavan in there. He was a great guy, Istavan. They weren't married, but he respected my sister, and he was a great father. Paul had gotten so big; he looked a lot like me when I was little.

I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings, so I didn't hear Roza approaching until she sat on my lap.

"Is that Paul? He looks a lot like you." I had told her about my family before, and she knew how much I missed them all.

"Yes. He's nearly 7 now. I haven't seen him since he was three and a half. I doubt if he even remembers me." She stroked my hair, comforting me.

"I'm sure he does remember you. Your family probably have loads of photos of you around the house, and talk about you all the time. I mean, I remember when my sister was born, and I was three, and four years isn't that long..." I knew she was trying to comfort me, so I pulled myself out of my sombre mood.

I was on duty at six, and the academy was back to normal tomorrow, so I escorted Roza back to her dorm at half 5. She let me up, not wanting to say our goodbyes in the open. Needless to say, I was half an hour late. What can I say? Roza and I, alone in a room...

Nothing happened on my shift and we were still on high alert. But we needn't have been. The electric fence had its voltage increased, and the fuse box was moved _inside_ the grounds. I don't know who put it on the outside, but it wasn't on _my_ plans. Darren was taken to hospital and was still unconscious, so no positive ID yet. The security guard supposed to be watching the cameras when the attack happened was, surprise surprise, Stan. Naturally, he was fired with immediate effect.

The next few weeks passed without incident. We were still on high alert, and a few times we had spotted people in the surrounding forest, but they either turned out to be hikers or were gone by the time we got near enough to speak to them.

Roza spent nearly every night at my place. I think Janine had started to suspect us; she caught me escorting Roza back to her dorm a few times, but we used the excuse 'mentoring sessions'. To keep up the pretence, I still filed my reports on Roza, stating that she was managing school life and social life well, but we didn't really hold our mentoring sessions anymore.

Of course, we didn't spend every single minute together, as we had work to do, other friends etc. Roza and her friends went off of campus every Wednesday afternoon when she had free periods, and went shopping or whatever. I went along a few times for 'security' but was told I was needed on campus more than as a personal security guard. My mother had seen the change in the tenor of my emails, and stopped worrying as much. I was saving up my holidays, taking any extra shifts I could, for the Easter break. Security only got the summer off, but Roza would be going back to NY to stay with her aunt. We had spoken about it, and she wanted me to meet her aunt. She said she had told her that she had a boyfriend, but still hadn't let slip the fact that I was 5 years older than her, and was staff rather than a student. Roza reassured me she wouldn't mind, but she wanted to tell her face to face. Everything was perfect, or as perfect as it could be.

That was, until a certain Wednesday afternoon.

Roza had the morning off due to teacher illness, so we had been making the most of the time alone. Lissa was meeting her at 2 by the main desk, so she had to leave at about 1:45. I wanted to go with her, but I was still, hehem, recovering from her rather talented mouth, so she left me gasping for breath on my sofa. She promised to text me when she met Lissa, and I promised to return the favour when she got back. She gave me a wink when she left, but I wish desperately now that I had gone with her. I know I had a shift, but I could have rearranged it. I should have.

_I'm with Lissa. Have you recovered yet? ;-) ~R xxxx_

_I've just about stopped shaking, but I'm not even going to try walking yet. Have fun ~D xxxx_

It took me over 10 minutes to regain the full use of my legs, and I still stumbled when I pulled my boxers and trousers back up. _That woman will be the death of me._ I went to start my shift, and was in a rather good mood. There had been no sightings for about a week, and whilst people were still on high alert, we were all starting to relax a bit.

I finished my shift with absolutely nothing happening and I whistled while I walked back to my apartment, knowing Roza would be back soon. I checked my emails while I waited, and pigged out on some of Roza's crisps; she would kill me, but there was nothing else to eat!

It was gone 8 before I started to wonder where she was. She usually came back by half 6, but she missed last week. She was otherwise engaged – *cough* sex *cough* – so I expected her to be a bit late, but an hour and a half? All students had to be back on campus by nine, or else there were no more trips for the rest of the term. I sent her a quick text,

_Haven't you had enough shopping therapy time yet? ;-) ~D xxxx_

Twenty minutes later, I tried ringing her, but there was no answer. I sent her another text.

_Is your phone off? Curfew is in half an hour, so you'd better hurry... ~D xxxx_

At quarter to nine, I still had had no reply.

_Roza, I'm getting worried, where are you? ~D xxxx_

Ten to.

_Roza, curfew is in ten minutes! And why haven't you answered any of my texts? Is everything ok? ~D xxxx_

Five.

_Roza, call me. I'm really worried ~D xxxx_

Nine.

_Roza, where are you? Please, just call me, text me, ANYTHING, just let me know you're ok_

I had called her over 20 times, and it was just ringing and ringing and ringing. By quarter past, I was so worried, I walked down to her dorm, but neither she nor Lissa were there. I even asked the people around campus, asking if they had seen her. I used the excuse she hadn't shown up for mentoring, but I still got nothing.

I was at my wits end when I approached Janine, asking if the car that was driven into town this afternoon was back yet. The answer was no, but she was wondering about it too. Adrian, the security guard who accompanied was under strict instructions not to stay past half past eight, and was to call if they were held up. No message had been received, and it was quarter to ten.

By 10, a group of security guards had been arranged to travel the route the car took, looking for the party. I was nearly pulling my hair out, but I kept telling myself nothing was wrong, she would be fine, they would all be fine.

About half an hour away from the Academy, we came across the car.

_Oh no. Oh no. Oh no._

It was on the road heading _towards_ the mall. Was there an accident? Where was everybody?

We got out and went to inspect the car. There were a few scratches and dents, as if another car had pushed them onto the curb. The doors were still open, the front windscreen and the passenger windows were smashed and the engine still on. No one was in the car, but on closer inspection, their bags were still inside. What had happened? Then I noticed something on the back seat that made me head spin and stomach churn.

Blood.

**What do you think? Review :-) xx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks for all the reviews :) I may not update for a while as I have a month of exams, but don't give up on me! I will UD when I can :)**

_Blood._

"What happened here?" The voice of another security guard brought me back to reality.

"It looks like a kidnap." I couldn't answer, but Janine's answer made sense.

I was frozen, just standing there, staring, my world collapsing around me.

"Belikov?" The voice was faint, but as I started to become aware of my surroundings, I realised Janine was calling me. I looked at her, not able to say anything. "Help search the car. Put these gloves on, so as not to mess with forensics, but don't miss anything." Her voice was demanding, but there was a softness there. I was almost certain that she knew about Roza and me.

I complied. There was a lot of blood. It made me feel sick, thinking someone had hurt my Roza, but I was holding out for the fact that it may not all been hers; if one person lost this amount of blood, they would not be alive for much longer.

We were about to give up our search of the car and start to scan the surrounding area, when a dark figure emerged from the wilderness.

It was Adrian.

We surrounded him and demanded answers. He was bleeding heavily from an arm wound, but was still conscious.

"We were driving, and someone rammed us off the road. S-s-six of them came at us. They smashed the windows...they had knives and...and...and they threatened us. I tried to distract them, so the girls could escape, but they stabbed me. I passed out, and woke up in a ditch over there. I walked back to where I thought the car was...to get help..." He looked like he was about to faint, but I had to get my answers.

"Who were they? Where did they take them?" I may have been more forceful than I should have been, but it got him to wake up a bit.

"I didn't recognise them...but one of the girls did...he said...he said he wanted her...and that she wouldn't...couldn't escape him again...he said he'd had enough of her games..."

"Where? Where is he taking them?"

"I don't know...he said something about a mill?...but he wouldn't say...they shouted for help, but he...he cut them...said no one would hear them screaming when they were...mill..."

He was literally seconds away from passing out, but Janine had one last thing to say to him,

"Who? Which one knew him?" She looked like she understood this random attack.

"Rose." He slurred, just loud enough for us to hear before passing out. Two of the other guards took care of him, while I quizzed Janine.

"What did he mean 'Rose knew him'? What aren't you telling me!"

I was getting angry at the lack of answers, and Janine pulled me aside.

"Do you know who Jonathan Hewitt is?" What did this have to do with anything?

"No. Why are you asking stupid questions, they-"

"He's Rose's uncle." And? She was making absolutely no sense.

"What does that have to do with-"

"Don't interrupt. If you want to know what's happening, let me finish." I nodded.

"Good. He was engaged to Rose's mother, eighteen years ago. It was an arranged marriage, but Jonathan loved her. Everything was going fine, until Rose's mother announced she was pregnant. Nothing big, right? The only problem, was that Jonathan had very strong Christian morals; no sex before marriage. He confronted her, and she admitted to sleeping with another man. He was willing to over look it, but when she revealed the father was his brother, he went mental.

"You must understand this. Jonathan's the eldest of five children, three girls and two brothers. His mother had had a difficult time carrying him, and had suffered from serious post-natal depression. She all but disowned her eldest son, and focused on the daughters she had in the coming years. Her husband died of cancer before her last child was born, and she named him Matthew after him. He was identical to her husband, and she believed that the dead will be reborn. She thought that her youngest child was her husband, come back to be with her. As you can imagine, she spoiled him rotten. By this time, Jonathan was at boarding school, and the girls were used to being raised by their nannies. It was from then that Jonathan started to resent his brother. Matthew was the favourite, and when he was older, he was better looking, cleverer, more talented. All his life his younger brother had been the best, but when Jonathan found his wife – his much younger, prettier wife – he was happy. When he found out that his brother had wooed his wife, not only flirted and gave her gifts, but had taken her himself, something in Jonathan snapped. Maria insisted that he had done nothing wrong, and that she was the one to act on their feelings, that they were in love.

"Their mother was ecstatic. She had often baited Jonathan and set the brothers off against each other, and to see him lose the one thing he wanted the most was the thing _she_ wanted the most. Matthew married Maria, and their baby girl was born a few months later. Jonathan was not invited to the wedding, or the christening. He was left to wallow in self pity and let his rage grow. Their next child was born three years later, and Matthew and Maria were really happy together. Jonathan married a woman called Helen, but she was a widow that had been married twice before, and was only marrying so she would have a steady income. He chose her because she looked like Maria. Their first child was born a year after Rose, but did not survive for very long as she was born prematurely. They tried and tried for a baby, but Helen kept miscarrying. Jonathan divorced his wife four years after they married, after five miscarriages. He moved away, and came back when his mother died, inheriting part of her estate. He went to the funeral, but only to keep up appearances for the business. It was there when he saw Rose for the first time.

"She was fourteen at the time, but she was the spitting image of her mother. He had never gotten over Maria, and he saw Rose as the person who ruined his life. His daughter had the same eyes as Rose – His father's eyes, his brother's eyes, his eyes – and he also saw his niece as the reason his own daughter died. It was ridiculous of course, as Rose was only a year old, and her mother and father had had no contact with Jonathan since he stormed out of his mother's house fourteen years ago. Jonathan started to show up at her school, hang around their house, and follow Rose when she went out with her friends. He didn't _do_ anything, but it scared the hell out of her. Her parents got restraining orders against him but he was relentless. He started sending her notes, saying he was coming after her, that she was going to pay for 'what she'd done'. He had people hacking phone calls to and from the house, intercepting mail and following every member of her family, saying she couldn't run, because he would find her. Her parents were working with the police to get him locked away, but he had a lot of connections in high places, and there was a strong possibility that any judge would be corrupt.

"The turning point was when she was at home alone. There were police staking out the area, but they got called away to a disturbance at a neighbour's house. Jonathan set the house on fire. Rose was in her room, and would have burned to death if a passerby hadn't reported a strange man breaking into the Hewitt's house. Her parents shipped her off to her aunt in New York, changing her name to Hathaway. They have no contact with her, as Jonathan is still keeping tabs on them, but we think her mother sent a letter or email to her sister, asking about Rose. He disappeared from England, and was located in a nearby town a few months back.

"We think it's him that had been breaking in. And we are almost certain it was him who did this."

I was speechless. My mind was literally spinning.

Then things started to click into place.

Rose having to take personal safety classes; she seemed to know the intruder was a man; the intruder searched the top floor of the girls' dorm; the man following the girls shopping. It was Jonathan. He must have learnt that the girls left the campus every Wednesday, and was waiting to strike.

I was so stupid.

I should have gone today.

I would have protected her.

I would be with her now.

"What do we do now?" I asked, my voice sounded strange, as if I was being strangled.

"Now we wait."

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	12. Chapter 12

**I know it has been ages since my last update, but I an in the middle of exam season, and my free time is taken up with revision, boyfriend and sleep at the moment :)**

**I have been looking through my last chapters, and I've realised that in Chapter 9 I called Janine Janice, and I've noticed a few more mistakes. I dont want to remove the chapters, so I'll just apologise here :) Sorry! But I am only human :) x**

"WAIT! Wait for what! The psycho wants to kill her! Do we wait for her body to turn up? I won't let that happen!" My vision was tainted red; the bloodlust was pumping through my veins. I wanted to kill this bastard for ever have malicious thoughts about my Roza, for forcing her away from her family, for laying a finger on her.

"We wait for back up. We are going to search the surrounding area, and any mills in the immediate vicinity. We have alerted the authorities, and as we speak broadcasts with the girls' photos and names are being spread across the country. They won't get far." I protested, saying I could get a head start, but Janine refused, telling me to walk it off and be ready in an hour. She sent on of the other guards with me, to make sure I didn't wander off. I walked aimlessly for what felt like hours. It was pitch black, and the forest was eerily quiet.

I wandered for nearly half an hour, before the guy I was with – Giles, or something – reminded me that we'd better start heading back. I was about to agree, when I saw a light flickering in the distance. We were in the middle of a forest; there shouldn't be any light out here. I knew I was being stupid, but I couldn't _not_ look. It turned out that it was a break in the forest, and a steep hill rose up above the surrounding greenery. At the top of the hill was the light. It looked very high up, but I still wanted to check it out. We had about 20 minutes left, so Gerry, Giles, whatever, radioed the others and let them know where we were.

It was quite a trek, but the path looked like it was used regularly, so it was safe and everything. Luckily, there were a few trees surrounding what looked like a cabin, hiding us from view.

Greg, radioed back to base, telling them we found evidence of human activity and to come and check it out. I went on ahead, trying to get a closer look. I managed to stay under the cover of the trees, and luckily enough there was a window nearby. The cabin looked like it was all on one level. I looked through the window and the room looked like a makeshift bedroom of some kind. There was a mattress pushed into the corner, and cans, bottles and cigarette buts littered the floor around it. There was a wooden chair in the middle of the room, but that was it. Nothing _that_ suspicious.

I was about to tell Gary to let the others know there was nothing here when the door opened. I ducked so I could just see over the window ledge. In walked four muscley men, all dressed in black suits. They fanned out, each taking a position against one of the four walls. In walked a skinny man of about 40. His greying hair was thinning, and his face looked sunken. He screamed desperation. He had a wry smirk on his face, and I instantly mistrusted him.

I was sure something fishy was going on, and was about to go back to Garret when another pair of men dressed in black suits came in, dragging something between them.

It looked like a person. There was one of those flour sack-things over their head, and their feet were dragging along the floor, as if they couldn't support their own weight. I took in the rest of their appearance and my heart sank. Those jeans, even covered in dirt and what looked like blood stains looked very familiar, and so did the green top. In fact, I distinctly remember ripping said top of a certain someone's body. The figure matched, and taking in the blood stains, fresh and dried I felt sick to the core.

I knew I should leave, call for immediate assistance, but I couldn't look away. The two men pushed them into the chair and tied their hands behind their back with plastic flex cuffs. The two men then walked back out of the room and closed the door. I could see the skinny man talking, but I couldn't hear him; the windows and walls were too thick. He threw his head back in what looked like a laugh, and he walked forward. He grabbed the top of the sack and pulled it off, throwing it over his shoulder. I looked upon the face, and I knew without a doubt that I would kill all the men in that room.

I would start with Jonathan Hewitt.

**I know it was short, but i had to stop here so the next chapter would make sense :)**

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	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry for the long delay in UD. As a little thank you to everyone who is sticking with me, every review will get a sneak peak at the next chapter :) xx**

I took in the bruises and the multitude of cuts, some still bleeding. Her eyes looked red and puffy from crying, and she looked like she was in pain, even now.

That monster was now walking back towards my Roza, raising his hand. He struck her across her face, and I was just about to crash into the room when I felt a hand on my shoulder. They pulled me back under the cover of the trees. I turned around, about to beat whoever it was to a pulp, but I looked down and saw it was George.

"Don't do anything stupid. If you go bursting in there now, they'll know we are on to them. Wait for back up. They are nearly here, and we can go in there." I was still seeing red, but I knew Greg was right. I nodded, not trusting myself to speak, and I started pacing violently through the trees. Gary took a seat on a nearby branch and watched me.

It had been about three minutes, and I was getting more and more worked up. I knew he was probably hurting her right now, but every time I went to look through the window Giles pulled me back. I was stomping now, crashing through the undergrowth, my impatience growing by the second.

I heard footsteps and we both looked up. I started towards them, eager to get started on the rescue, but Garrett put a hand on my shoulder.

"What are you doing? The quicker we get to them, the quicker we can get her out of there!" I was working to control my voice, but I knew I was nearly shouting.

"That's not back up. They are still waiting for the party of ten to get back from the Barkley Mill. They are going to radio when they get nearer." He was whispering, looking at the incoming footsteps.

Shit.

We started backing up, getting ready to run, but we heard footsteps behind us. We started edging in the opposite direction of the cabin, but footsteps were approaching there too. We were being surrounded.

Ten or so men in black suits immerged from the surrounding forest, and were all aiming guns at us.

"Look, we mean no harm. We were just hiking through, but we lost our party. I don't suppose you know where they went? There were three men and two-" A man stepped forward, and aimed his gun at Greg's head.

"Don't lie to me. Why are you here?" He had an English accent.

"I wasn't lying! We were hiking and we-"

The man fired his gun. The bullet went straight into Gary' - No, I remembered now, his name was Gregory - head. He stopped mid sentence and fell to the floor, his mouth still open, his eyes staring.

"Grab the other one. He will want to see him." I was still shocked. That man had just shot Gregory in the head, not even blinking. They started to approach me and I sprang into action. I kicked one in the stomach, winding him. I swung my fist forward with as much power as I could and I heard a crunch as it collided with his face. I tripped another over and kicked him in the side, making sure he wasn't going to get up anytime soon. I turned and saw one running at me. He got a good hit on my face, but I was stronger. I kicked him full on in his chest, and I had the satisfaction of hearing his ribs crack.

I sensed rather that heard someone behind me and spun so I could hit him, but was met with the barrel of the gun. It was aimed right between my eyes and I froze.

"Stop. Come quietly, or I will shoot." I slouched. How could I save Roza if I was dead? I nodded and the man put the gun down. The other men grabbed my arms and dragged me through the woods. We immerged on the other side of the cabin. The pulled me through the door and into the cabin. I was met with the stench of stale alcohol and body odour.

We crashed through another door, and one of the guys grabbed my hair and pulled my face up. I was in the room I had been looking at. The older man, Jonathan, looked up from where he was crouched over Rose.

"What's this? I thought I told you not to disturb me?" His voice was whiny, but it was full of authority, as if he knew they would do whatever he wanted.

"Sir, we found him and another man in the woods. He claimed to be hiking, but I knew he was lying to me. I shot him, and bought the other one in." All this was like a humming in my ear. I wasn't really focused on the conversation at all. I was gazing at the beauty across the room.

She may have been covered in bruises and was bleeding at multiple points, but she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. She looked shocked to see me, but I could also see pain, sadness, love and hope in those beautiful eyes.

"So, what are we going to do with you now?" I didn't realise he was talking to me until he slapped me across the face. I looked at him, hatred pulsing through my veins.

"Go to hell." I spat at him, impatient for my hands to be around his throat.

"Oh, he's a feisty one. Just like you, Rosemarie. I think we can have some fun with this one." He motioned with his hands and the men dropped me. I stood tall, towering over the weed of a man. He smirked at me. "He's a big one too. I think I will leave him to you, Henry."

A big brute of a man stepped forward. He looked me up and down, assessing my height before punching me hard in the gut. I flinched, but didn't move. He then punched me across my face, making my teeth shudder and elbowed me in the chest. He hit the place where my ribs ended, and I fell to the floor, winded. He grinned and raised his foot, about to stamp on my head.

"No! Please, Stop! Don't hurt him!" We all looked up at Rose. She had tears streaming down her face, and was struggling against her bonds.

"Why, Rosemarie? Do you know this man?" She didn't answer, but looked straight at me. I looked back, memorising the exact colour of her eyes; I had the feeling I was going to die, and I knew that they were the last thing I would want to see. "Oh! Oh, this is wonderful! Little Rosemarie has found herself a bloke. What a shame he had to come after you." He looked back at me. "You see, I was going to kill you quickly. I was going to have one of my men shoot you through the head. It would have been quick and relatively painless. But it seems like Rosemarie has taken a liking to you. I told her what would happen to anyone she loved. She knew the risk. And I am afraid, Rosemarie," He looked back at her. Tears were falling faster now, but she didn't look away from me. "you have sentenced this young man to a slow, and excruciatingly painful death. I told you what would happen, but you went ahead and fell in love. This is your fault." He looked back at me. I should have been scared, but I knew that I would rather die like this if it meant I had had the chance to love Roza. She was worth it, and more. "James..."

One of the men from across the room started to walk towards me. He cracked his knuckles, and I noticed he had steel knuckle rings on his right hand. I gulped. I knew the damage they could do. They would crack my ribs, rupture my spleen and break my back if used in the right way. _Roza. Think of Roza._ I looked up at her, and knew I would die a happy man. The impossible had happened; this amazing woman loved me. It didn't matter if I was about to die. She was everything I had ever wanted, and more.

I knew back up was on its way. Gregory had said they were waiting to regroup, but they knew where we were. I just hoped it took long enough for them to kill me, so they would arrive and save Roza before they hurt her even more.

He punched me in the mouth, and I repressed a groan. I felt my back teeth come loose, and I could taste blood. I spat it out, and gasped. That hurt like a bitch. He punched me in the stomach, and I couldn't keep my groan in this time.

"STOP! Please, hit me. Just, don't hurt him. Please." She was sobbing, and choked out the last plead.

Jonathan laughed. "Very well. James, try not to kill her." He turned away from me and headed over to Roza. He struck her in the ribs, and I heard a few of them crack.

"NO!" I roared. I jumped up, ignoring the sharp pain in my ribs and stomach, and threw myself at the brute, knocking him away from her. I struck him over and over in the face, trying to render him unconscious before the others pulled me off him.

When I was grabbed by the hair and dragged back, he wasn't completely unconscious as I would have liked, but his eyes were unfocussed, and he didn't look like he was getting up anytime soon.

"You have more spirit in you than I thought. This whore has good choice. Too bad that you'll both be dead soon." I spat in his face. "For that, I am going to hurt her. I will not kill her instantly, but you will watch as she bleeds to death. It will be slow and painful. And while the whore is dying, I will kill you." I tried to attack him, but the men held me back. "Tut tut. You need to learn some control."

I spat at him again, and he just laughed. "Seeing as you continue to act like a wild animal, I will have to show you the price of your actions." He nodded at a man to my left. It was the same man who killed Greg. He stepped forward, and aimed the gun at Roza's thigh.

"NO!" I roared, desperately trying to get free and save her.

"I did warn you. This is _your_ fault." He sneered.

I looked away from the gun, and back into Roza's eyes. I tried to convey how much I loved her through one look, and I prayed to God that Janine and the others would get to her before he hurt her.

_Bang._

**He he, what did you think? Review :) x**


	14. Chapter 14

**Sorry about the long wait, I've had a bit of writers block, and it's just been so hard to juggle writing this with coursework, my friends and my boyfriend. Anyway, here it is!**

**And that you to **_**dpower**_** for helping me with my writers block :) **

I winced, waiting for the scream of pain to come from my love's lips. But it never did. I looked around in confusion. The man holding the gun was on the floor, blood pouring out of his back. I looked for the person who shot him, but no one else had a gun out.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a flood of men rushed in. They were all dressed in the dark blue uniform of the Academy's security. I nearly feinted with relief. There were over 50 men, and they subdued the 'black suits' in a matter of seconds. I stumbled over to Roza and tried to undo her flexi cuffs. A knife was handed to me. I looked up and saw Janine smiling down at me. I carefully cut her free, making sure my shaking hands didn't hurt here anymore than she already was, and she collapsed into my arms.

"Shhh Roza. It's ok. You're safe now." I could feel her tears soaking through my shirt, and I pulled her closer, being careful of her ribs. I cradled her against my chest as I watched the security quickly and efficiently arrest all the 'black suits' and bag up the body.

She sobbed when she heard Jonathan shout threats and curses towards her and her family. I kissed her head and she relaxed, but I could still feel the tension in her body.

"I will get you, Rosemarie. You and your father will pay for what you did to me. And while I'm at it, I will kill your Russian, slowly and painfully, and you will watch the whole thing. Maybe then you will learn not to mess with me." He growled as he was pulled out of the door. I saw red. I knew rationally that they were empty threats and that he would, at least, be in prison until he was an old, old man, but it still made my blood boil to hear him talk to my love like that.

Nevertheless, Roza flinched and burrowed even further into my neck. I hated this _monster_ and the way he made her feel. It was only the sobbing Roza in my arms that stopped me running after that sorry excuse for a human being and tear him limb from limb. He continued to spit profanities outside the door, and I was cursing my luck that he didn't get shot in the cross fire too.

"Come on Belikov. Get her out of here. It's the green one." Janine held out a set of car keys, and I grabbed them, one arm still wrapped around Roza. She looked like she was about to keel over, so I lifted her up, bridal style and carried her out of the room. She buried her face in my chest, and I kissed her forehead.

"I love you Roza."

"I love you too."

I laid her down in the back seat and made sure she was secure before I drove like a lunatic to the nearest hospital, going frantic with worry about how serious her injuries were.

I screeched to a halt in the hospital car park, parking across about six spaces in front of the entrance to the A&E, not even closing the doors after I got Roza out.

Thankfully, they got her seen quickly and, since the Academy paid for her health insurance, she got a private room too. He aunt was called and she was whisked off to theatre as soon as they found out about her punctured kidney. On top of that, she had five broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, a sprained ankle and numerous cuts and bruises. She had 128 stitches in total, but was told they would leave little scaring. Vallisa had been found unconscious a few miles away from the cabin. She had escaped with a few bruises and cuts; Jonathan wanted nothing to do with her.

The police took my statement as I was getting seen to – luckily, I escaped with minor cuts and bruises – and I was told that they were in the process of sentencing Jonathan and his cronies. Once I settled myself into the chair next to her, I didn't plan on moving in a very long time. I gently took her hand and held it in mine, trying to assure myself that she was here, safe, and on the way to a full recovery.

The police had been in and out of her room, waiting for her to wake up to get her statement. I was getting really pissed off, knowing that when she woke up she would be in no fit state to recall her horrific experience. And to top it off, my head was pounding and my injuries throbbing.

The door creaked open and I turned around to give whoever it was a hard time. She was tall and in her late thirties with dark hair, like Roza's, cropped short into a bob. She had piercing green eyes and a hard set mouth. Damn, another reporter. When would these people get the message that neither of us was going to sell our stories to any of them, no matter how much money they paid us.

"Who are you and what do you want?" My mother would be ashamed to hear her only son talk to anyone, let alone a woman, in that tone of voice, but I was beyond caring right now. After everything that just happened, I just wanted some peace and quiet to try and come to terms with it.

"I'm Natasha Hewitt, who are you?" She narrowed her eyes at me and crossed her arms.

"Why are you here? What have you got to do with Rose? Why won't you people leave me alone!"

"What are you talking about? I am her aunt! So would you like to tell me who the hell _you_ are?"

_Crap. _

I started back peddling pretty quickly. "I'm – I'm Dimitri Belikov, s-s-sorry, I thought you were a reporter. If I had known, I would have never-" I will be the first to admit it, I was more than surprised when I saw a smile spread across her face and her eyes regard me softly.

"Ah, so you're Dimitri." I nodded, puzzled. "Rose has mentioned you." Now I really felt bad for earlier.

"I'm really sorry about before, reporters had been hassling me, and I thought-"

"Don't worry about it. I would have been just the same. How is she?" I filled her in on her situation, and she went a bit green when I told her what happened.

"Oh God." She sank into the other chair in the room. "Will she be ok?"

I nodded. "The doctor said they'll keep her sedated for a few more days, but once she wakes up the healing will speed up a lot. There won't be a lot of scarring and no permanent damage to any joints or organs." I looked back at her on the bed, looking so broken and fragile. I should have never have let her go alone.

"I'm glad you were there to help her." She said in a small voice. I looked up and saw her studying me. "You look a bit older than I expected, but Rose has always been very careful in making decisions. I know she would have chosen you for a reason. And I can tell by looking at you, you know how special she is. Don't ever forget that."

My gaze fell once again to the woman I loved, so, so beautiful, even with all the bandages and bruising. "I'll never forget."

She smiled at me and got up. "I can see she's in good hands. I need to phone her parents and then make some arrangements. It was nice meeting you Dimitri." She held out her hand and I shook it.

"It was nice meeting you too, Ms Hewitt."

"Please, call me Tasha." I nodded and turned back to Rose. Tasha slipped out the door almost silently.

I enclosed her tiny hand in both of mine and I prayed. I was never a religious man, but I just needed her to get better, and soon. I hated to see her suffering; every ounce of pain she felt, I felt it two fold. She had seen so much pain and loss in her life, and I wanted the last of it to be over as soon as possible. She was an amazing woman, and she never, _never_ deserved any of this. I promised then and there that she would never again know any pain. I would protect her with everything I had, and more.

I felt exhausted. It really shouldn't have been that much of a shock. I had been up since nine, and it was now nearing eleven the next morning. I wanted to just put my head on her bed and sleep for a few days, but my ribs were throbbing, and whenever I closed my eyes, I saw Roza's face as the gun was being pointed at her head.

"Rough day?" I had been so out of it that I hadn't heard the nurse come back in.

"The worst." I sighed. It was a huge understatement, but I really didn't have the energy to make conversation.

"Here." She held out a small cup with a few pills in and a glass of water. "For the pain and to keep your iron levels up. Don't want you fainting on us now, do we?" I gulped them back willingly.

"They will start working in about ten minutes. Just give us a shout if you need anything." She shuffled out, and I gladly rested my head on the corner of the bed. I knew I would have a horrible crick in my neck, and the bruises on my back would hurt like a bitch, but I really couldn't care.

I took hold of Roza's hand and waiting for the meds to kick in.

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	15. Chapter 15

**I know it's taken ages, but thank you for bearing with me :)**

**Disclaimer : All recognisable characters are property of their respective owners. This story was written without malicious intent.**

She stayed in a medically induced coma for weeks. The internal injuries were worse than originally expected, and if she was awake the pain would put such a strain on her system it would do more harm than good. It was hell on earth seeing her broken body lying on the stark white sheets not moving at all.

Tasha had persuaded me to go home a few times to change my clothes and have a shower, but I was not gone for more than an hour at a time. It physically hurt to be away from her, even if she didn't know I was there. I was sleeping in the reclining chair next to her bed. It was hard and uncomfortable, not to mention short, but I would rather not sleep at all than leave her side.

It was a Monday morning when the doctor came in. I was used to nurses to-ing and fro-ing, but the doctors hardly ever came in.

"Yes?" I sat up in my chair, running my hand over my face to wake myself up a bit.

"Mr Belikov, we are preparing to wake Miss Hathaway up in a few hours, depending if her vitals are all good and if her injuries are healing nicely."

"She'll wake up?" I was properly paying attention now.

"If everything is as it should be. Although, she may not wake up for a while. She is heavily sedated on pain meds, and she will be able to gain consciousness for a few minutes at a time. Be prepared, she will be confused and dazed for a while. Don't rush her. Just let her come round in her own time." He shuffled around, checking her machines and everything. He looked at some chart or other and made notes on his clip board. "Everything seems to be ok. Her blood pressure seems a little high, and the iron levels in her blood are worrying, but it's nothing a change in her prescription won't fix. She's been out for too long anyway. Any longer and it may damage her immune system."

I had no idea how or why it would hurt her immune system, but he sounded like he knew what he was talking about. Well, I hoped so anyway, Roza's life was in his hands.

The nurse came in, wheeling her trolley thing which made a horrible squeaking noise. I'd had enough of hospitals to last me a life time.

It took longer than I thought it would to put some chemicals in her IV; they had to disconnect this, swap that, fiddle with this, it was a wonder they remembered how to do it.

My heart was racing and I held my breath as the clear liquid entered her hand, hoping everything was ok and she would wake up.

"That should do it. Give me a call when she wakes up." I nodded, gripping Roza's hand in between mine.

Three hours later, and I was still waiting.

Tasha had been in and out since then, but was keeping Roza's parents informed so she didn't stay long.

I sighed and put my head on the bed. I was exhausted, barely keeping my eyes open, but I had to be awake. I was also tired of worrying. I would never stop, but it was taking up so much of my energy.

I gently squeezed Roza's hand, needing her to squeeze back.

She didn't.

I let the tears flow freely then. I'd managed to suppress these feelings for the weeks I had been here, but they all dawned on me at once.

I had failed her. She would never have gotten hurt if I had been there like I should have been. I should have raised the alarm as soon as I knew something was wrong, not wait hours before even thinking about looking for her. She would probably hate me when she realised this was all my fault.

I ran my thumb back and forward over her hand. It was so cold.

"Roza." My voice broke. "Roza please. I need to see that you are ok." I pressed my lips to her hand, but still got no response. I sighed and put my forehead back onto the bed. The doctor said it would take a while for her to come round, but I didn't think he was talking hours.

It was then I felt a slight pressure on my hand. It was tiny, barely noticeable, but it was defiantly there.

I looked up, startled. I couldn't believe my eyes.

Roza's beautiful brown eyes were open! Ok, half open and she looked very confused, but she was looking at me!

"Roza! Thank God. I thought they had given you the wrong meds." I moved my chair closer to her face and leaned over, brushing a few strands of hair off her face.

"Dimitri..." She mumbled. "Where am I?"

"Shh, don't try and talk." I squeezed her hand. "You're in the hospital." I pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"Why-" She gasped. "Are you ok? What happened? How...What...Where is he?"

"Roza, Roza, calm down, you don't want to hurt yourself even more. I'm fine, just a few scrapes. And that...monster is behind bars. Don't worry about a thing, your safe." She sighed in relief, but still eyed me warily. "I'm fine."

"Sure sure." She started to sit up and groaned. "I feel like I've just been hit by a bus."

"Oh, honey. You've got a punctured kidney, broken ribs, a dislocated shoulder, a sprained ankle, cuts and bruises and had 128 stitches. You're going to feel pretty rough for a while yet. I'm so sorry baby." She groaned again.

"How long was I out for?" She looked around the room, taking in her surroundings. I tried to remember that she had just come out of a coma and wasn't completely awake, yet, but it was so hard. She was here, talking to me. I had dreamed about this moment for weeks, and now that it was here, I wanted to tell her everything. I took a deep breath and reminded myself not to rush her all at once.

"Three weeks. They had to let your body start to heal." I gulped, knowing I had to get this out. "Roza, I'm so sorry. I should have gone with you. If I wasn't so...so stupid, I would have noticed earlier that something was wrong. I should have gone with you, and you would have never been hurt. I'm so so sorr-"

"Dimitri stop." She sounded so weak, so frail. "Stop being stupid. If I had told you about _him_ earlier, it would have never gotten this bad." She squeezed my hand and smiled. "Just stop."

I sighed. I knew she was going to do this.

"Roza, if I had gone with you, I would have stopped you being hurt. If I had been there I would have ripped his head off for even _thinking_ about hurting you. It's my fault. Baby I'm so sorry. I mean it. If I had been there, you wouldn't be in here now." I had to make her understand. I didn't deserve her to over look this. I didn't deserve her, period.

"Dimitri, if you had been there, he would have killed you. How do you think that would make me feel? Seeing my insane uncle kill the man I love? And if you had been with me, you wouldn't have found me. I'm not quite sure what happened, but I remember people, Mrs Mazur, I think, come into the room and take him away. I'm pretty sure you had something to do with that, and if you had been there, she wouldn't have known. And besides, I didn't want you there." I could feel the shock take over my face. "I love you too much to see you get hurt." She said quietly, her face suddenly looking very tired.

"Okay, okay. We'll talk about this later. Roza, you need to get your rest." She sighed, but nodded her head. "I missed you baby." My voice broke as I whispered, rubbing circles on her hand and stroking her hair. I had waited so long to see her, worried so much about her. I don't think I could ever express how happy I was to see her alive and well. Ok, not completely well, but she was out of the woods and would hopefully make a full recovery.

I pressed a kiss onto her forehead before calling the nurse to let her know she was awake.

"Ok. Hello Rosemarie, I'm Nurse Marshall. Now, how are you feeling?" The nurse bustled around, fussing with Roza's wires and machines, asking stupid questions and poking around. I could tell Roza was getting annoyed and was more than happy when she said, "Right, I'll leave you alone now. But if you get tired, just go to sleep. The best thing for you now is to relax and let your body have time to heal. If you need anything, just give me a buzz." And off she went.

She yawned. "How can I be so tired? I've been out for weeks."

"You need to heal baby. Go to sleep, I'll be here when you wake up."

She looked at me sceptically. "You sure?"

"My Roza." I kissed her lightly on the lips. "I can't be without you. Why leave, when my life is here?" She smiled and closed her eyes.

She fell asleep almost instantly. I was worried about her, of course I was, but I was so _so_ relieved that she was awake. My eye lids started to feel heavy and my thoughts slowed. Thinking about it, I hadn't slept over the past weeks. Yeah, I had caught a few hours here and there, but was constantly woken up by the images of my love bleeding at the hands of that monster, or the thought that Roza would tell me to leave and never come back. To say I was exhausted was an understatement.

I leant my head against the bed and wrapped up Roza's hand in mine. I fell asleep just as quickly, and this time was not interrupted by the nightmares.

The next few weeks past quickly. Roza was making good progress and they were slowly weaning her off the morphine.

Tasha'd had to go back to her job in New York, but was calling twice a day. It was nice to be alone with Roza, but I knew how much she was missing her family. And not just her aunt. Her mother had been sending letters, but the police were still making sure Jonathan didn't have any more men after them.

A few days after Roza had woken up her parents called the hospital and the next day a suspicious man had come asking for her room. She had been made a high priority by the police, and security picked up on him almost immediately. He was taken in for questioning, and was found to work for Jonathan. Letters seemed the safest option, and were being addressed to a family friend near by, and she was forwarding them on. Even this limited contact was more than Roza had had for months, and she treasured every letter she received. But I knew what would happen next.

Christmas was fast approaching, and the case on Jonathan was slowly being closed. I still had to finish my contract with the Academy and Roza would eventually return home to London once it was safe. My heart clenched at the thought of her being so far away from me, but I knew rationally that it would never work. There was such an age gap, and it wouldn't matter so much in a few years but now? She would be going off to university and living her life. I had been there and done that, and our lives would take different directions. I was also aware of the fact that she was only 17, and I was her first. It usually goes that the girl gets attached to her first and thinks she's in love with him. I hoped and prayed that what Roza felt for me was more than that, but deep down I knew she probably didn't feel the same way I did.

When I saw her, the world made sense. It was like I was lost before I met her and there was something missing that I had never known about. One look at her, and I had found it. I would never stop loving her, and could never look at other women after I had seen her. I was not unaware of the young nurse that threw herself at me at every opportunity, and once upon a time I would have probably taken her up on that offer, but now all I see is that she's not Roza. She is not my love, and so holds no attraction for me of any kind. It was the same with all women.

Roza had changed me, and I would never be the same. But I would not hold her back. She could do anything with her life, go any where be anything. She didn't need some needy Russian guy trailing around after her. So I told myself that when the time came when we had to go our separate ways, I would be gracious and let her go. But for now, I was treasuring every second I had with her.

"What are you thinking about so hard?" She smirked up at me.

We were laying cuddled up on her hospital bed. She claimed that it was comfier to sleep on my chest than those lumpy, scratchy hospital pillows. Her words, not mine. Of course, I had no complaints and cuddled her close.

"Just stuff." I hadn't realised she had woken up, and I only ever thought about these things when she was asleep, not wanting to waste the time I had with her when she was awake. I tried my best to smile normally at her. She saw right through it.

"No seriously, what is it?" The smirk had gone now and her eyebrows were frowning with confusion.

I took my finger and smoothed the crease between them. "Just how much I love you." I buried my face in her hair and breathed in the scent that was purely Roza. "Я люблю тебя. Ты моя жизнь, пожалуйста, не оставляй меня. Я не знаю, что я буду делать с вне вас. Я люблю тебя." I knew she had no idea what I said, but I needed to say it to her, regardless.

She giggled. "Mmm, I love it when you speak Russian." I smiled against her neck and kissed her creamy skin before pulling her close, resting my chin on her forehead. "But seriously, what was bothering you?"

"Nothing, really." I hated lying to her, but this was the only thing I would never tell her. Anything else, I would tell her immediately, but my insecurities and deepest fears? Never.

"I don't believe you." I didn't say anything. We both knew I was lying. "I won't bug you about it, but you can tell me anything, ok?" The look she gave me was so intense I almost believed her. How could I burden this magnificent creature in front of me with all my problems? I was the one she should come to, I was the one who should protect her. But why did it feel like the only thing holding me to this earth was her?

I pressed a kiss to her lips, marvelling in their softness, before pulling her back into my chest and playing with her hair. I couldn't help wondering how many more times I would get to do this.

I held her that bit closer.

**Translations : I love you. You're my life, please don't leave me. I don't know what I would do with out you. I love you.**

**Let me know what you think :) Review xx**


	16. Chapter 16

**I'm sorry for not UD in a while, I've been bogged under with exams. They're all over now, though, so hopefully I'll be able to write more often :)**

2 months and 9 days after she was rushed in, Roza was discharged. Most of the cuts and bruises had gone, and only a few stitches were still in. Her shoulder was still strapped up and so were her ribs, but she was much better.

She practically jumped for joy when the nurse handed out the discharge documents. Well, she would have if her ankle could stand it. The Academy had broken up for Christmas and Roza was going to her aunts for the holidays. Her family in London still hadn't been given the all clear to contact her, and I was ashamed to admit a small part of me was pleased. The longer it took for the police to hunt down Jonathan's associates, the longer she would have to stay in America. Stay with me.

However, it was only a tiny bit and I could see how much it hurt her to be away for them over Christmas. And if she was hurting, so was I.

Tasha put her up in a hotel for a few days until the hospital gave her the ok to fly. She insisted I stayed with her, and I was more than happy to oblige. There was a big possibility that she would return to her family after Christmas, and these three days could possibly be the last I get to see of her.

As soon as we got into the room, she crashed on the bed. It was only half one, but she was still healing and the change in pain meds made her drowsy. I ordered some room service and called my mother, something that I was ashamed to admit I wasn't doing enough of.

"_Dimka? Is that you?"_ Just her voice bought tears to my eyes.

"It's me Mama. I just...I just needed to talk to you."

"_My darling boy, how are you? And how is Roza?"_

"I'm fine. Roza is healing well, and she's spending Christmas with her aunt in New York." I tried to sound happy, but she saw right through it.

"_And what are you doing for Christmas Dimka? Are you going to New York too?"_ My mother knew it was too short notice for me to go over to Russia for Christmas and that going abroad was not something my work schedule would allow me to do.

"Um, no. I'm not going to New York. I, uh, I think I'll just spend the holidays with some of the men I work with. They can't go home either so we might as well be lonely together." I laughed at the end, but it sounded fake. Well, it was fake. And a lie. The guys were getting together, but I hadn't been invited. And to be honest, I'm glad about that. I want people to believe I wasn't spending Christmas alone, wallowing in self pity and getting ahead on work. Even though I would be.

"_Oh Dimka. I worry about you. I wish you could be home for Christmas. And maybe Roza could leave early and spend New Years with you? Or you could spend it in New York? Just...just promise me you won't be alone."_ She was getting upset, and I had to reassure her.

"That's a good idea. I'll ask her when she wakes up. And I won't be alone Mama, my friends will be with me." We spoke a bit more, but she had to go and check on Zoya.

I expected to feel better after speaking with my mother, but I felt even worse. I was going to be spending the holidays all alone while my family and friends were celebrating. I usually spent Christmas with my uncle in Kentucky, but with his new baby and the whole episode with Jonathan, it just wasn't able to happen this year. What I really wanted was to take Roza to Russia with me, to meet my family, but that wasn't going to happen either. I was seriously home sick.

I sighed and got up to have a shower. I'd been washing at the hospital and everything, but I still felt grimy. Roza was still dead to the world, so I jumped under the scalding spray. The hot water loosened my muscles slightly, but my mind was still running on double time.

Would it be better if I made up some excuse, told Roza that I had to leave? If I started the separation now, it wouldn't hurt as much when it happened permanently, right? But not making the most of my time with her would be stupid, and did I really want my last memories of our time together to be tainted?

I made a conscious decision there and then to make these next few days count. I would give her whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted. I would wait on her hand and foot, and show her just how much she meant to me, even if it was unrequited.

I shut off the water and shaved – something that I had been neglecting. I was rooting around in my suitcase for a fresh set of clothes when she woke up.

"Dimitri?" I stopped immediately and went over to her.

"Yes, my love?" I pressed a kiss to her forehead, inhaling the scent that was completely her.

"How come you're nearly naked, and I'm not?" I laughed.

"And here I was thinking you were a waking invalid." She grinned at me.

"Oh, I am an invalid, but that doesn't stop me wanting to make use of this very empty hotel room with my very sexy boyfriend, who happens to be naked." She ran her hands up my chest, around my neck and fisted them into my hair.

"But I'm not naked yet. See? Towel." She rolled her eyes and pulled the offending piece of material away from my waist.

"Happy now?" I flashed her a grin.

"Very."

*** M scene ***

I crushed my lips to hers, silencing what I was sure to be some sarky remark.

She moaned against my lips, and I shuddered, telling myself that we needed to take it slow. She was still healing, and it would probably hurt her if I took her as rough as I really wanted to. At least, that was what I was telling myself; her hips grinding ferociously against mine was telling me otherwise.

I ran my mouth over her neck, tasting her delectable skin. She sighed, leaning back to give me better access. I trailed my tongue over her collarbone, nibbling in the places that I knew would make her moan. I wrapped my hands around her waist, sliding her top up her torso, revealing her golden skin. I pushed it over her head and gazed hungrily down at her ample chest, covered in a plain green bra. It wasn't lace or anything, but it was just as sexy, and not doing a very good job at hiding her hardening nipples.

I groaned and captured captured the tempting peaks in my mouth, lapping at them through the material. She tightened her grip in my hair and arched her back. I loved that I could make her feel that way, knowing that she had the exactly the same effect on me. I moved my hand underneath her, unclasping her bra and letting it fall free, exposing more of her beautiful skin. I looked at her golden skin, the pink peaks sticking up at attention, her deep breaths making her chest move up and down, her face thrown back in pleasure and her eyes closed. She was so beautiful.

I leaned in closer to her face and told her this. She smiled and opened her eyes. I looked right into the bottom of their hazel depths, and knew there would never be another. She untangled her fingers from my hair and moved them so they were resting either side of my face.

"I love you." She vowed, and I leaned down, capturing her lips again with mine. It was a slowed, deeper kiss as I tried to show her just how much I loved her. She broke for air first, and I moved my head back down her neck and chest, kissing and suckling my way down, careful not to leave any visible marks.

She cried out as I pulled on of her nipples between my teeth. I set my tongue to work, loving the way her skin tasted and the way she reacted to my ministrations. After paying each one equal attention, I kissed my way down her stomach, careful of her healing scars and rested my lips just above her trousers.

I stopped and looked up at her, needing to know she wanted this. I would always ask, and one shake of her head and I would always stop; I was at her mercy.

"Please!" She moaned, and I slid her trousers down her legs and over her feet. I made sure to lick and nibble at the skin at the top of her thighs, but the smell of her arousal was almost too strong, and I couldn't slow down.

I ran my nose over her underwear, moaning slightly at how wet she already was. I kissed her through her underwear before sliding them down her legs too, needing to taste her.

She was so wet for me already, and I groaned as I swept my finger across her hot, wet cunt, loving the feeling of her arousal on my fingers. She cried out and knotted her fingers in my hair, trying to pull my face closer to where she wanted it.

I leaned in closer, trailing my tongue all over her before pulling her clit into my mouth and pushing my finger deep inside her.

"Oh God, yes Dimitri! Please! Oh God." She moaned pushing my face further into her pussy. I added another finger and was rewarded with another one of those moans that sent shocks straight to my dick.

I sucked harder and she groaned, her back arching off the bed and her legs shaking. Her walls quivered around my fingers, and I could tell she was close. Curling my fingers, she exploded around me, and I kept moving my hand, riding out her waves. I pulled them out and sucked them clean of her juices, moaning at the taste that only I had ever sampled before.

"I need you. Now." I looked up at her, her chest heaving, covered in a light sheening of sweat, her pupils dilated; she was the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on.

I laid down on the bed, on top of her, making sure I was propped up on my elbows, keeping my weight off her. She looked up at me, and I felt like she was looking right into my soul.

"I love you." Before she had the chance to reply, I crushed my lips to hers. She moved her hips up to run against mine, reminding me of what she wanted. I positioned myself at her entrance and looked at her, checking that this was what she wanted. She nodded and in one thrust I was completely inside her. I was home.

I started slow, wanting her to be comfortable, mindful of her healing injuries, but the way she was moaning and panting, clawing at my back, it was getting harder and harder. She wrapped her thighs around my waist, causing me to slide further inside her. The most erotic moan escaped from her lips and I shuddered, straining now not to speed up.

"For God's sake, I'm not going to break, move faster." She panted, desperately trying to make me move faster.

"I don't want to hurt you." I said through clenched teeth.

"Dimitri," she groaned, and I had real trouble maintaining my slow pace. "I need you to fuck me." I shuddered to a stop. Pulling back from the crook in her neck I looked into her eyes. She did that whole puppy dog thing, pout and all. "Please?"

"Promise me you'll tell me if I hurt you." I had to make sure she was comfortable.

"I promise." Looking in her eyes, I knew she was telling the truth. She leaned up and kissed me hard. I got the hint.

Moving all the way out of her, I waited until she met my eyes, before slamming into her. She screamed into my mouth and clung to me harder.

I was relentless, pushing into her hard and fast, her moans and pants encouraging me.

"Oh God, yes! Mmmm, Dimitri! Harder, oh!" Her nonsensical mutterings were something I'd been missing, and I suckled on her neck, just how she liked, in the hope she would continue. I was not disappointed, and when my fingers moved down to stroke her clit, she got even louder.

I could feel her clenching around me, and I knew I wouldn't last long. I shifted my hips slightly, pressing even harder against that spot deep inside her.

Her moans reached their pinnacle as she reached her climax, crying out my name as she came hard and fast. I was right there with her, shooting my load inside her, loving the way she felt pulsing around me, and how it prolonged my own orgasm.

*** End of M scene ***

I pulled her close into my side, burying my face into her hair, trying to commit her scent to memory. I just hoped – prayed – that the memory of now would take me through what was going to be a devastating well, life, without Roza.

"What are you thinking about?" She whispered, trailing her fingers up and down my back.

"You." I answered truthfully. I felt her face move into a smile and I had to stop myself gripping onto her tighter; she was still healing, no matter what she said, and I didn't want to hurt her – I'd done too much of that already. We were silent for a few moments longer, the only sounds in the room being our breaths, coming slower now that we had regained some control.

"Why?" I was taken aback, not knowing how to answer that.

"'Why?'" I asked back, needing to know the logic behind her odd question.

"Why are you thinking about me? Of all the things to think about in the world, why me?" She didn't sound angry, hurt or insecure. She was just wondering out loud.

I pulled back and looked her right in the eye, "Why would I want to think about anything else?" She grinned at me, and brought her hands up to knot in my hair.

"What have I done in a past life to deserve someone like you?" She moved her mouth to press kisses onto my neck.

"You deserve so much more, Roza." I murmured, tangling my fingers back in her hair.

She pulled back, frowning. "What do you mean?" I smoothed the crease in between her eyebrows with my index finger.

"You deserve someone much better than me. You deserve someone who will protect you properly, you deserve someone completely unselfish, you deserve someone who can give you everything you want. You deserve someone better." The heaviness that had lifted momentarily weighed back down on my heart.

The long silence that followed only confirmed my suspicions; she deserved someone better, and now she'd realised it. I could see her thinking hard about something, and I knew she was trying to work out the politest way of telling me to get lost, so I saved her the trouble. I pressed my lips to her forehead and got up, pulling on my t-shirt and trousers as I went.

"Dimitri, what are you doing? Where are going? Come back to bed." She sat up, her hair messed and her cheeks flushed, her lips slightly swollen. I couldn't resist kissing her once more. "Mmm," She opened her eyes. "I never said stop." I tried to smile at her, but it just didn't feel right. Her smile dropped. "What's wrong?" I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to keep my voice even.

"I love you, Roza. Never forget that."

"What do you mean? Are you going somewhere?" She looked so confused, I cupped her face with my hand, smoothing my thumb over her cheek. It was only a moment after she started leaning into my hand when she started to pull back. "No, tell me. What's wrong?" I looked deep into her eyes, properly looked. She was everything I could ever want, and that's why I had to tell her the truth.

"I'm not the one leaving. You are."

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	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

"I'm not the one leaving. You are."

"What! I'm not going anywhere." She crossed her arms. "Now tell me what the hell you're on about."

"I understand completely. I know you realise how badly I've failed you, and I know you're trying to find a way to tell me to leave. Don't worry, if I were you, I wouldn't want to be stuck with me either." I smiled sadly at her.

"What?" She openly gaped at me. I got up and moved away. I started collecting her clothes from around the room, saving her the trouble later. She was silent for a long time.

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Is this what you've been moping about for the past month? I thought you were angry at me for getting you into this mess."

"What? How could you think I was angry at you. I could never be-"

"Well it makes more sense that what you're thinking." I rolled my eyes and went back to cleaning up. "Dimitri." I refused to turn around. "Dimitri. Look at me." I complied. "How could you think that?"

"Because it's the truth. You deserve someone who can give you everything, not someone who can't protect you. I failed."

"No, you didn't."

"I did. I should have been there to protect you, to stop him from even thinking of laying a hand on you." I sighed. We'd had this conversation before. "And you'll be leaving soon anyway. The case is almost closed and they'll be letting you fly in the next few days. I know you'll want to be going home as soon as you can, and I have to go back to the Academy in the new year." She looked shocked.

"What? I thought you were coming with me?" It was my turn to look shocked.

"You never said-"

"I didn't think I'd have to! You _know_ how much I love you. Why would I ever leave you?" I frowned.

"But your family, they'll want-"

"to meet you. Aunt Tasha said they might be able to fly over for New Years, and we could fly back with them...I thought you were finished at the Academy?"

I was so shocked I sat down on the bed.

"But the way you were going on about Christmas, I thought you'd be going alone. And they haven't said anything about my contract. It was for a year, and I've not even served half." I sighed and rubbed my hands over my face. Even if Roza was sure of the way she felt, it could never work.

"Oh, I thought your work was finished." She thought hard for a moment. "I could stay for the rest of the school year, and we could go over to England together after that. We could stay together, and you wouldn't get in trouble with the-"

"No."

"No?"

"You can't sacrifice your family for me." I took her hand. "I know how much you've missed your parents, and your little sister. Asking you to stay with me for six more months...It's the most selfish thing I can think of. And after you've finished school, you'll be off to university, and seeking independence...You're life's just starting Roza, I can't hold you back." That hurt to say. I hadn't even realised that I'd started to believe that we could be together. She just sounded so sure of her feelings, and so certain that this could work out. But the realisation that is common sense set in, ruining all plans.

"That's just stupid. Why would I want to go anywhere without you? I don't care about university or 'having the experience'! I've found what I need, I just want to start my life." I snorted.

"Now you're the one who's being stupid. Just because you think you're in love with me, it doesn't mean you have to sacrifice your future."

"What do you mean 'I _think_ I'm in love with you'." Her voice was cold, and she spoke with a tone I'd never heard on her before. She pulled her hand back.

"Roza, you're only 17. At that age, you don't really know what you want. Your hormones overpower everything and you don't think about things clearly. As much as I want to believe you, I can't."

"How dare you!" She was red in the face and looked like she was about to hit me. Reaching down to pull on her t-shirt, she stood up. "You doubt my feelings because of _my age?_ Do the last months mean nothing to you?! I thought you were fully committed to this relationship, but if you've been doubting how I felt the whole time, I must have been wrong."

"No, Roza. I knew -_know_- you love me, but I just don't think-" She sighed.

"Do you love me Dimitri?" What! How could she ever doubt that?

"Of course I do! You mean everything to me!"

"Then how can you doubt my love for you?" Her answer pulled me up short.

She had a point.

If I couldn't trust her feelings for me, how could I expect her to trust mine?

All this time I had been so adamant that it was just an infatuation, that she would one day see how unworthy I was, I had been ignoring what was there. She did love me, and if I couldn't see that, if I couldn't trust that, how could I expect her to trust me when I told her that I loved her?

It may be true that she deserves so much more, that I am no way near the type of person that she deserves, but she chose me, and I have to respect that choice.

"You're right." She looked up at me, and I saw the hope in her eyes. "You love me." That had to be true.

"And you love me." She said it with such conviction, as if it was the most true thing in the world. And it was.

"Now, can you please come over here? It's torture not to be touching you right now." She didn't need to tell me twice. I wrapped her up in my arms and pulled her close. She snuggled into my neck, and it just felt right. But just because I'd taken my head out of my ass and realised she loved me, it didn't make everything right.

"What are we going to do?" She took the words right out of my mouth.

"I don't know." I kissed her forehead. "But you will not sacrifice your life for me."

"I will not be without you." I sighed.

"We can't have it both ways." I would drop everything for her, but I would not let her do the same for me. It might sound like I was being all 'caveman', but I've done that whole university thing, and it was one of the best experiences in my life. I couldn't let her pass up on this.

"Can we just get past Christmas? Then worry about afterwards." I nodded. Christmas was looking much more enjoyable now. I felt her yawn against my chest, and realised that she must be tired.

"Come on you, bed."

"Demanding. I like it." She giggled. I tucked her into bed, and took my jeans off, climbing in after her. "Oh, so we're really going to bed?"

"You need to rest." She pouted.

"But I only woke up a few hours ago." I gently pulled her to my chest, and cuddled her close, still mindful of her healing injuries. "Fine, but this," She said, tugging my top. "needs to come off." I grinned.

"Only if this," I said, tugging on her top. "Comes off." She grinned too.

"Pervert." But she took it off anyway. As agreed, mine came off too, and we laid there, skin against skin.

"I love you." She murmured.

"I love you too."


	18. Chapter 18 - Epilogue 1

**The first of the epilogues**

"Nervous?" I asked, as I placed my hand on her bouncing leg.

"Bit." She was chewing on her nail and looking out the window. She never did like flying.

"We've got a while before we land, try and get some sleep." Her other leg was bouncing now.

"Roza, look at me." She did and I could see the apprehension in her eyes. "You'll be fine." She nodded and I put my arm around her shoulder. She leant into me, still chewing on her nail.

"What if they don't like me?" Ahh, so this was what she'd been obsessing over for the past few days.

"Baby, they already love you." I kissed her forehead.

"But I'm the reason you haven't been to see them in ages."

"No, _I _decided to spend Christmas in New York and _I_ decided to take a trip to Rome with you over Easter. They understand it's a long way to travel." I kissed her again, unable to keep my lips off her.

"But they haven't seen you in over a year and-"

"-and that's my fault. I was working and travelling. Relax, I moved away years ago and I live my own life, they understand that."

She was still a bit nervous, but decided to watch a film to pass the time. Sure enough, she fell asleep almost straight away, and I moved her so she was more comfortable, covering her with a blanket and putting her pillow in my lap so she could near enough lie down.

To say the last six months were manic would be an understatement. We'd spent Christmas with Tasha in New York and her parents did manage to make it over for New Years. Her mother and sister took a shining to me straight away, but her father took a bit longer. The first few hours after we met consisted of menacing glares and awkward silences, but he warmed up to me in the end. Especially after I gave him a rather expensive golfing set for his Christmas present. I was not above bribery.

The Academy wanted me back in January, and it was agony to leave Roza behind. But she needed to be with her family and settle back into her life in London. I got back into my work, putting in all the extra hours I could, working as fast as I could to get the rest of the amendments finished. I saved up my holidays and worked very, _very_ long hours, and sure enough, I had finished all my work by March. They still had me on contract until July, but there was nothing else I could do, so I took my holiday, which would take me up to the end of my contract. It wasn't strictly above board, but Janine managed to pull some strings, and I was in London for Roza's surprise birthday party on the 20th. She was over the moon and I took her on a holiday to Italy for her birthday over her Easter break.

I found a college that would take me, even though I was technically still in work. I did a criminal psychology course and found an apartment in the centre of London. We both finished school, and she was going to King's in the fall. I'd managed to find a job close to where I lived, and I don't know how she did it, but she managed to persuade her father that living in my apartment with me was better for her. He complied, reluctantly, but I think the fact that she wouldn't be alone in a big city was comforting.

I was finally taking her to Russia to meet my family for the first time. We were starting off there, staying a week before travelling round Europe for two, then meeting up with her family in Greece for another week. It was complicated and expensive, but the across-continent trip was her present for finishing school with the top A-Level grades, and I was covering the other expenses. She was really looking forward to seeing my family, and she'd spent the last month learning everything about my family and my childhood, but as soon as we started packing, she started panicking.

It was nonsense. They already loved her, and asked more about her when they were on the phone than they asked about me. I was so happy that the most important people in my life were finally coming together.

I must have dozed off too, because I awoke to the captain announcing we were coming into land. I woke Roza and she went back to looking out the window.

"You're just making yourself nervous." I reached over her and pulled the window shutter closed; she was most nervous with landings.

"I just start thinking about everything that can go wrong and I freak myself out." I took her hand and smiled at her.

"Would I ever let anything happen to you?" She rolled her eyes, and I leant forward and kissed her gently before plugging my seatbelt in.

The plane started to decline, and I felt Roza's body stiffen. I rubbed her leg and she relaxed a bit, but I could tell she was still worrying.

It took another hour to get through passport control and collect our bags. We were waiting for car hire when I heard a shrill scream.

"Dimka!" I turned and saw my younger sister, Viktoria running towards me.

"Vika!" I caught her as she launched herself at me and swung her around.

"I've missed you." I set her down.

"I've missed you too. Look how tall you are! I'll have to chase all the boys away while I'm here." She grinned and nudged me.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?"

"Of course, sorry. Roza, this is my little sister Viktoria, Vika, this is my Roza." She beamed and pulled her into a big hug, catching Roza off guard.

"I've heard so much about you, you're all he ever talks about." She pulled back. "Do you like shopping? Because I've arranged for us to hit the sales on Thursday, but if that's not your thing, it's fine, we can do something else. Or you can do things by yourself, you don't have to hang out with me if you don't want to, I tend to be a bit forward but I'm fine if-" Roza grinned.

"I'd love to go shopping with you." Vika grinned and pulled her into another hug.

"Come on you two, we've got to hire a car." Roza broke away and I put my arm round her.

"Dimka, Lina is in the car park waiting for you. Sonya said you can borrow her car if you want to get around." She tried to take a case, but I shooed her on.

Roza and I trailed behind her as she led the way to the car. "I told you they'd like you."

Roza smiled. "She's really nice, I can't wait to get to know her better."

"Come on love birds, we're over here." She jumped straight into the car and Roza went with me to the boot to help me put the cases in.

"Don't even think about it." She tired to lift a case.

"Aww, going all caveman on me now are you?" She grinned and I leant down, kissing her. I think we got a bit carried away, my arms pulling her hips closer and her hands resting on my biceps.

"Oh nice." We broke apart and saw Lina standing there.

"Like you're any better. Remember Marcus?" She grinned and I pulled her into a hug too.

"I've missed you Dimka." She whispered, burying her face into my shoulder. I think it was hardest on Lina. I helped her out when she had Paul because his father was away working, and we'd developed a close relationship.

"I've missed you too Lina." She sniffed and pulled away, trying to wipe a stray tear without anyone noticing. "How are the kids? I haven't seen them in so long, I doubt Paul will remember me."

"Of course he'll remember his favourite Uncle. And we've been showing Zoya photos of you and she can say your name."

"Really?" I was worried that she'd be scared with some strange man in the house.

"Of course. Now stop being rude and introduce me." I did, and once again Roza was pulled into a big hug. What can I say? We were an affectionate family.

Eventually we made it into the car and spent the two hour drive catching up. The whole ride I held tightly onto her hand, rubbing small circles into her palm to calm her down. It took about an hour before her muscles started to relax.

My sisters asked all about our travels, and I hoped that by hearing their genuine interest in the questions they asked would stop Roza's irrational fear that they resented her for taking me away from them.

The rest of the day ran smoothly. Of course, the whole family loved her, including Babushka. I'll never admit to Roza, but she was the one I was most anxious about. She had a track record for hating the boys my sisters bought home, and I was worried that she'd react the same with Roza. My worries were unnecessary and Babushka loved Roza as much as the rest of the family.

She loved looking round my home town, looking at the places that I'd loved when I was growing up. Roza also loved staying in my childhood home.

"I can just imagine you sliding down the banister when you were little, running through the house playing cowboys and sitting on the work surface, learning how to cook."

"He was such a good baby, never crying and sleeping right through. But as soon as he could walk, he was a menace. They don't call it the terrible twos for nothing. I had to move everything out of his reach, put safety guards on all the things he could reach, and even the child locks couldn't keep him out of the food cupboards. I would often walk into the kitchen and see him surrounded by packets of stuff, eating out of everything. I think I have a picture around here..." I groaned as Mama went to hunt down the infamous flour photo. Roza just laughed and pinching my cheek.

"Aww, you sounded like such a cute baby." She kissed where she pinched and patted me on the bum. I rose my eyebrow at her, but Mama came in before I could say anything.

"Here he is. I was just about to start making Lina's birthday cake and I found him like this." She showed Roza the framed photo. I was sitting on the kitchen floor, surrounded by packets of food that I had pulled out of the cupboard. I had a bag of flour in my lap, my fist in my mouth and a disgusted expression on my face.

"Did he...?"

"Oh yes. He kept eating it, pulling that face, and just doing it again. By the time I found him he'd eaten almost half the bag." They both fell about laughing, Roza gripping my arm to stop falling over.

"Ha ha. Very funny." That just made them laugh even harder.

"Look at your face! Oh Comrade, you look so cute! Look at your little dungarees." Roza wiped tears away from her eyes.

"My baby boy." Mama kissed my forehead before moving towards the door. "Don't worry, I have many more where that came from." I groaned again and Roza giggled.

"Every time anyone comes into the house she shows that picture. I think she even showed the gas man once."

"I like it." She kissed me lightly on the lips. "And you've seen all my baby photos, it's only fair I get to see yours." Mama came back, grinning at my arm around Roza's waist. "Olena, I think I'll have to have a copy of that photo, my sister will love it."

"After Dimka binned the photo when he was 13, I made multiple copies, in case he ever did it again." I scowled. "You're more than welcome to have one." The two most important women in my life grinned at me, and I sighed. That photo was going to haunt me for the rest of my life.

The rest of the week passed smoothly. Roza soon became thick as thieves with my sisters, and Zoya followed her round whenever she could. Mama and Babushka doted on her, more than happy to tell her all about my thoroughly embarrassing childhood. Paul loved her too, asking whatever questions he could think of about England. Lina said he was studying the Tudors at school, which would explain his fascination with medieval torture methods, something Roza was not an expert on, much to his dismay.

"She's amazing Dimka." I was helping Mama make her infamous black bread in the kitchen. Roza was with Vika and the children in the garden, playing tag or something similar. Even from the kitchen window we could see the huge smiles on all of their faces, and Zoya's high pitched squeals of delight carried through the house.

"I know Mama." I had to repress a small sigh. Roza was turning me into a lovesick teenager.

"When are you going to ask her?"

"Huh?" I turned to see my mother watching me with a knowing look.

"Babushka told me about the ring." Damn. "You think she would keep such secrets from me? I'm having trouble keeping it to myself as it is."

"I don't know Mama. She's only just turned 18, and we've not even known each other for a year. Is it too soon?" I sighed. "I've spoken to her father, but-"

"Did he say no?" I sighed again.

"No, he gave us his blessing. But he mentioned whether we were up for such a big commitment." I was wondering this myself.

"If you think you're ready, then you are. You already live together, and you both love each other. Can you imagine being with anyone else?"

"No! Roza is the woman I will spend the rest of my life with." She smiled at me.

"I know that. But you need to be sure before you ask her. Her father's right. Only ask if you're sure you can handle it. But age should not factor in your decision. She may be young, but she is wise for her years." I nodded.

If I was honest with myself, I wanted to take Roza down to a court today, get married and whisk her away somewhere where I would never have to think about anything else but her. But I knew it was more than that. She was starting university, and I had just started a new job. We didn't have the funds to plan a wedding, and we had only know each other for a year.

High pitched giggling bought me out of my musings. Roza had Zoya in arms, blowing raspberries on her belly. Zoya's giggles got impossibly higher and her little arms and legs started to wiggle. Roza stopped and laughed along with her, before swinging her around in the air. She put her down as Paul started to chase her. Roza saw me watching and waved me over.

She jogged over to me as I walked out the back door, grinning ear to ear. I wrapped my arms round her waist and pulled her closer, burying my face in her hair.

"What's that for?" She asked, kissing the side of my face.

"I just love you." I felt her smile.

"I love you too." I looked up at her and grinned.

She tried to pull away but I caught her round the waist and pulled her closer. She smacked me on the arm, and I laughed, pulling her into a kiss.

"You're stopping me playing! Leave me alone you oaf, I'm having fun. Go back into the kitchen."

I laughed loud at that, smacking her on the bum before kissing her again.

"I'll remember that when you next ask me to make you anything."

"Yeah yeah. Now bugger off." She kissed me quickly before running back over.

Yep. That was the woman I was going to marry. And soon.

**More to come!**


End file.
